When It All Comes Crashing Down: Original
by JakkyTheRipper
Summary: Naruto and the gang go to therapy with Kakashi as their counselor. Secretsofgray: Presenting the original draft of 'When It All Comes Crashing Down.' While I edit the earlier chapters, I will upload the original unedited chapters to this account - AND I'll be posting the final chapters that I've written. NaruSaku SaiIno GaaraOC (yeah, I know. I hate freshman me too.)
1. Chapter 1

**Re-uploaded because this was taken down by an admin because of an inappropriate summary. **

**And let me tell you, I'm pissed as shit. Even though, technically, it was my own fault. **

**But whatever. **

**I'll putting up chapter one by itself. Others will be combined, possibly, just for ease in uploading the docs (48 chapters is not fun to go through, edit, and upload.)**

**I'm editing them because you know what, you guys deserve it. **

**So, I now present you with CHAPTER ONE, EDITED. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own. **

…**..**

All of them were there for a reason.

Kakashi knew this. He didn't like to judge, but when you're a counselor for the unloved, the unwanted, and the just plain fucked-up, you could profile pretty damn well.

They were seated in a semicircle around him in cheap metal cafeteria chairs that squeaked on the linoleum floor. The room was large and mostly empty, with white floors and walls and bright, industrial lighting. It had been a church recreational center, once upon a time; now it was where Kakashi held his Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night group therapy sessions with five of the local teenagers. This was the first night he'd be meeting with an entirely new batch of kids. It also was the first night he'd made a point to be on time.

He sat in his own metal cafeteria chair as he watched them enter. Almost all of them did the same thing: walk in through the doorway, turn around and wave to their ride; then walked in, looked around warily before scoping out the available seats, and choosing one that wasn't directly next to someone else.

Only three of the five had arrived; Kakashi decided to busy himself with their files, which technically weren't files at all. Really, it was a series of shorthand notes he'd written himself, along with information sent by their respective family doctors.

Resigning himself as he always did before the start of a session, Kakashi surveyed the group before him.

There was a boy who was skinny and blond and not very impressive to look at. At an outward glance, someone may wonder why he was here. He wasn't hunched, wasn't scowling. He looked _happy,_ like he didn't have a care in the world.

His file said otherwise.

Kakashi hadn't had a chance to go over the kids' files before he left; his favorite part of introductions was seeing how well the kids' personalities matched what their doctors and family said. It was a bit of profiling with a little psychoanalyzing involved, and Kakashi had a sharp mind.

Sick as it was, he enjoyed it.

.

**Name: **_Naruto Uzumaki _

**Age: **_16_

**Sex**_**: **__M_

**Diagnosis: **_Anger Management Issues_

**Triggers:** _none_

**Miscellaneous: **_Parents found dead when he was three. He was sent to live with his uncle until very recently. His uncle is now in prison for child abuse and attempted murder. Naruto has been tested for ADHD on several occasions; all have come back negative. _

There was more; how his uncle had carved the scars into Naruto's face; how the last year had been tough, bouncing between foster homes; how the boy was 'generally good-natured' but prone to 'violent outbursts.'

As a rule, there was always an optimist who had an angry side. _Always. _

Kakashi shuffled Naruto's file to the back and looked at the girl to Naruto's right. She was a little blonde thing, seated with her arms crossed and a bland look on her face, like she was bored.

He had heard about her from the doctor that had recommended Kakashi to her, and her file said the same thing the doctor had.

**Name: **_Skye Toshiba_

**Age: **_16_

**Sex: **_F_

**Diagnosis: **_Depression (possible) Self-mutilation (probable)_

**Triggers:** _None_

**Background:**___Lives with sister; father in prison for neglect and abuse; mother walked out on the family. Has a temper and is suspected of self-harm. Intelligent? Grades slipped in past year. Does not specify what they had been originally. Apparent 'superiority complex' used as a coping mechanism. _

Kakashi sighed. Something in his gut was saying _'smartass.'_

He looked at her again. Took in the all-black clothing, the combat boots, the surly expression.

The fact that the sleeves of her hoodie were tugged down over her hands. Kakashi made a mental note and moved to the next file.

To her right was another girl, staring at the floor and looking uncomfortable, pink hair covering her eyes.

**Name: **_Sakura Haruno_

**Age: **_16_

**Diagnosis: **_Self-mutilation(confirmed) generalized anxiety(treated for) bulimia(probable)_

**Triggers:** _None_

**Miscellaneous: **_Sexually abused by father at a young age. Her father is now imprisoned and divorced from her mother. Sakura is confirmed of self-destructive behavior and suffers from anxiety attacks. Threw up meals when at teen's treatment hospital; possible signs of an eating disorder? _

Next to that, a doctor had written Sakura's height (5'4") and weight (110lbs) in red ink. Kakashi, though uncertain of the average teenage girl statistics, knew that this was not grounds for being underweight.

_And we have our designated introvert, _he thought. The file continued to say how Sakura had been the top of her class, even throughout last year when everything came to the surface.

The other two had since entered; Kakashi continued going through the files.

He looked at the black-haired boy sitting next to her, face as blank and white as a sheet of paper.

**Name: **_Sai Shimura _

**Age: **_17_

**Diagnosis: ** _A medical and psychological anomaly. Emotional detachment? PSTD? Disassociation? Suicidal?_

**Triggers: **_None_

**Miscellaneous:**_ Sai has an innate inability to emote. Unsure if this is due to abuse in developmental years or if a mental psychosis; situation currently under investigation. Uses his artwork as a form of therapy. Has talent in the field. Despite his limited emotional capacity, has expressed interest in psychology and human interaction. Attempted suicide twice throughout the past year to 'see what dying would feel like.'_

_Wonderful,_ Kakashi thought dryly. _The experimenter._

The last boy sat two chairs down, three chairs between himself and Kakashi. Kakashi saw the blood-red hair and the tattoo, and wondered if just maybe this was a sick joke.

The thick, fat file said otherwise.

**Name: **_Gaara no Sabaku_

**Age: **_17_

**Diagnosis: **_Emotional detachment(speculative); uncontrolled aggression(confirmed); insomnia(confirmed); sadistic personality disorder? Antisocial personality disorder? _

**Triggers: **_ Anything perceived as a weakness in everyone around him. _

**Background: **_Mother deceased. Was in custody of father until he was tried and convicted of child abuse and arson. Lives with older sister and brother. Lived with uncle age twelve. Uncle is deceased. Kicked out of three different middle schools. Prone to violent rages. Was nearly driven insane from father's mental and physical torment; extremely unpredictable. _

The last line was underlined thrice.

_And we have a winner! The designated hot-head with father issues!_ Kakashi barely suppressed a sigh. He'd dealt with the case with Gaara's father a few years back, when he'd been a cop. Among counselors, teachers, doctors, and therapists in the region, Gaara was infamous. He was borderline insane; he got into fights on a regular basis, with little to no coaxing. Where some could at least _act _happy, Gaara based his existence on reigning terror.

Or so it was said.

The kids were looking at him expectantly.

Kakashi breathed deeply through his nose. _And so it begins._

"So. I'm not gonna beat around the bush. You're all here because you have a story; you all have baggage. You all have _something_ that sent you here." He paused. They blinked at him. "I'm not going to pry. I _will _make you talk; not now, maybe not soon; but when you're ready." He met each of the teenager's eyes in turn. "What happens in here _stays_ in here. And to you tough guys who like to fight," here he glanced at Naruto, who smirked, and Gaara, who glared, "I do not tolerate violence." When no one said anything, he finished, "Call me Kakashi."

He suspected Skye to be the first to make a remark; he was right. She snorted. "Please don't tell me that you think letting us call you by your first name is gonna make you _cool._"

_Ouch._

"Does 'Mr.' make you feel old?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

_Don't be bitingly sarcastic to the emotionally stunted child. She is doing it for attention._ Okay, so his thoughts were harsh. But there was a way you had to deal with kids like that. "Exactly my point. Now, would you please introduce yourselves?" he kept his voice light, neutral, and unthreatening.

"How do you want us to do that?" This came from Sai; unlike Skye's sarcasm, he had a genuine curiosity in his eyes, though his voice was flat and bland.

Kakashi liked that. "You know, name, likes, dislikes, hobbies? Here, I'll do it. My name's Kakashi. I like a lot of things. What I dislike is unimportant. And my hobbies keep me busy. See?"

The pink-haired girl looked at him strangely. "Bullcrap. You basically told us nothing."

_Sharper than she looks, eh? Well…_ She _was_ top of her class, right? "It was just an example. Naruto, why don't you start?"

In Kakashi's rather extensive experience, it was always best to start with the most chipper. Naruto cocked his head. "My name's Naruto! I like ramen! I don't like the three minutes you have to wait for the ramen to cook. And my hobbies…fighting, 'cause I'm good at it, and trying out new flavors of ramen!"

_Likes ramen to a point of obsession,_ Kakashi wrote, in addition to _fights_. Not to psychoanalyze, but because sometimes obsessive habits could indicate something. _Which is psychoanalyzing._

He turned to the blonde girl. She looked directly back at him and arched an eyebrow.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" he asked her jokingly.

"Yes, actually. Thank you." She grinned wolfishly. "I'm Skye. I like music and art. I hate bad music and modern art. In my spare time, I whore it out on the corner, worship my dark lord Satan, and shoot herion into my eyeball behind dumpsters at McDonalds."

_Wiseass,_ Kakashi wrote. The stares she received from the other students – and the chortle from Naruto – didn't seem to faze her. _Attention-seeker?_

Thankfully, the girl next to her needed less prompting.

"I'm Sakura…I like…" she paused and blushed. "Ah, _Harry Potter._ I dislike…" she stopped and rubbed the inside of one of her wrists. "_Twilight._ My hobbies are…well, I like to read."

_Shy. Escapist?_ Reading was very much a sign.

Sai was ready. "I am Sai. I like to draw. I dislike bitchy, bookish girls like we have here and boys who fight to compensate for small penises. I draw in my free time."

_Provoking. _Kakashi hurried onto Gaara, mainly because Skye and Naruto looked like they wanted to rip out his throat. In fact, Naruto was muttering death threats. "Ah, how about you?" he said to Gaara.

The boy looked at him with cold eyes. "I don't like anything. Nothing is worth my time."

"Well aren't you a nihilist?" Skye quipped. "Not even a name."

The other boy seethed, and glared at her. Skye shrank. "I have a name, little _girl_. Gaara no Sabaku."

Kakashi sensed the tension and hurried on. "Well, now that we all know each other, why don't we call it a night? I'll see you back here tomorrow, same time."

In five seconds all of the teenagers had bolted.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his face. Things looked less than promising, more so than any other class he'd ever had. _Why oh why did I take this job?_

_Because you were them, once. You know that they can be helped. _

He rubbed his temples. They might be able to be helped, but they had a _long_ way to go. He glanced at the picture of the young man, almost-faded, frame hanging on the wall.

_I won't let them turn out like you did. I promise._

.

.

.

**I'll putting up chapter one by itself. Others will be combined, possibly, just for ease in uploading the docs (48 chapters is not fun to go through, edit, and upload.)**

**I'm editing them because you know what, you guys deserve it. You've been the best readers an author can ask for, seriously, especially with, well, a piece of OC-ridden crap like this. **

**Love you all. **

**-Secrets. **


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura tried the door again. It was locked, just like it had been five minutes ago.

Frowning to herself, she abandoned trying to get the door open and leaned against a nearby tree.

The building where they had – what was it called? Some kind of St. –something – was situated right on the edge of the suburban part of town, where grass and trees still grow but sidewalks begin to creep in. The building was solid; a once- church, with gray stone and huge arches and spires. A wrought iron-fence enclosed the plot of grass it stood on.

She couldn't believe that her mother had enrolled her in this. It had been bad enough talking to the therapist one-on-one. Now there was going to be _more_ people in on her life, _her _problems?

They were hers for a reason. And it's not like other people, outside people cared. Her _best friend _hadn't cared.

_Well, like Kakashi said, he can't _make _us talk. I'll talk, but that doesn't mean I have to tell. _Talking – really _talking –_ made her sick. And when she felt sick…

Subconsciously, Sakura rubbed her arms through her sweater. She could feel herself begin to panic, just a little – her heart was beating faster and she was shivering, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or not.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the arrival of the blond girl.

_What's her name? Right…Skye._ Sakura remembered. Skye glanced from Sakura to the car she'd just come out of, then back to Sakura questioningly.

Sakura swallowed. "He's late."

Skye frowned, nodded, and waved the car behind her off.

The two girls stood, waiting in uninterrupted silence.

Sakura wished that she had brought her iPod; she was about to, but then she remembered the one place that confiscated any and all 'sharps' – pens and pencils, iPods, cell phones, cameras, keys, _coins._ It had been better to simply not bring the forbidden objects.

A motorcycle drove past. Sakura cursed herself when the engine revved and she jumped. Skye looked at her like _WTF_, but didn't say anything.

Eventually Naruto showed up, climbing out of a Volkswagen that had seen better days; he looked around and said, "Where's Kakashi?"

Skye shrugged and Sakura stared at her hands.

Naruto didn't say anything.

Sai soon showed up, and then Gaara materialized from somewhere. Sakura hardly noticed. It was _cold,_ and she hadn't worn the thickest jacket.

Still she was better off than Sai, who had only worn a thin hoodie that, for whatever reason, left half his stomach exposed. His skin was pale – almost paper – white – and you didn't have to squint to see the angry red welts near his hipbones.

Sakura bit her lip. Kakashi would notice that. She'd already noticed, and by the looks of it so had Naruto, too. _What if he calls me out?_ She knew that Kakashi had to know about her problem, and he was a therapist, what if he made her do something? Talk about it? _Show them?_

A lump formed in her throat, and she could feel herself getting nauseous, sick –

_Please, no. Not _here, _not _now…

"Uhhh….Sakura? You alright?" Naruto turned to her and cocked his head, brow furrowed.

_Great. _

Now _everyone_ was looking at her. "Fuck _off_," she heard herself say, and took a step back.

"Jesus, there's no need to bite his head off," Skye muttered, crossing her arms.

"Fuck _you,_" Sakura said, her breathing becoming heavier. She tried to swallow, couldn't, desperately hoped that she wouldn't vomit…

"What the -?" Naruto said. "What's going _on_ with her?"

A sigh came from behind them. "This is what we call an anxiety attack," Kakashi said. He strolled up to the door and unlocked it. Then, "Skye, help Sakura in. The rest of you, with me."

.

.

.

_Great,_ Skye thought as they disappeared into the building. _I'm stuck with babysitting duty._

She waited a minute or so to wait for Sakura to calm down; after a failed attempt to try to make small talk, Skye let them lapse into silence.

She looked at the scared girl and in front of her, and felt a flash of guilt for snapping at her. Pushing it away, she said, "C'mon. It's cold as shit out here and I bet the heat's on inside."

Sakura gave a tiny nod. The two girls entered the building, and Skye couldn't shake off the impression that the other girl was hiding behind her.

x.x.x

Kakashi glanced at the three boys, choosing his words carefully. Finally, he decided on, "Sometimes Sakura gets flighty. It's simply anxiety, and there is no reason to be offended. Are we clear?"

The three boys nodded. Kakashi exhaled and leaned back, frowned. "Sai, what's on your stomach?"

Sai looked at him for a second, confused, then glanced down at himself and brightened. "Hm? Oh. Did you know that plastic spoons can be made into makeshift knives when melted down?"

"I see," Kakashi said lightly, inwardly banging his head on a wall in exasperation.

Gaara snorted. "You mean a shank?"

Sai nodded. "Precisely."

Naruto was blatantly staring at Sai as if he had lost his mind.

Kakashi cleared his throat as the two girls walked in and nodded at Sakura, who seemed okay. He'd talk to her after class. "And what prompted you to do this?"

Sai shrugged. "I wanted to see if it was as effective as a conventional blade. As it is, they're not really good for much." He looked at his stomach disdainfully. "Not nearly as useful."

Sakura frowned. Skye looked away.

"In the future, Sai," Kakashi said carefully, "Perhaps it'd be better to not test the strength of these homemade 'shanks' on yourself."

Sai nodded. His friend, Kyon, had mentioned something like that when he found what Sai was doing. Sai had been subject to the boy's lecture for the entire twenty minutes it took him to clean Sai up.

Kakashi, however, didn't know this and was slightly worried; by law he was required to notify Sai's guardian as soon as class ended.

Making a mental note, Kakashi decided to go on with tonight's session as planned.

"So," he said, leaning back in his chair, "Let's talk about music."

"What kind of music?" Skye asked, perking up.

Kakashi shrugged. "What kind of music do you like?"

Skye's eyes lit up. "A little bit of mostly everything. Except country."

"Hey, I _like_ country." This little outburst came from Sakura, oddly enough.

"No matter _what_ you like, Shattered is _the_ number one band ever to exist _ever!_" Naruto finished this statement with a semiviolent gesture that may or may not have been an air guitar. "Believe it!"

Everyone turned to him; even Gaara had stopped scowling at the wall long enough to glance in her direction.

_Aha! We have hit common ground!_

"Let's be friends," Skye said.

"I like them," Sakura stated shyly.

"They are a subdivision of 'rock' called 'post-hardcore." Sai's assessment was flat.

Naruto snorted. "Just don't call it 'screamo' or I'll have to punch you."

It was times like these that Kakashi wished he had the ability to listen to the current music scene – however, as he'd grown up on the classics (AC/DC, Metallica, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones, to name a few) he merely didn't have it in him to sink to that level.

_Whatever 'screamo' means nonwithstanding…_

Kakashi turned to Gaara. "What do you think of the band?"

Gaara took his time, first actually looking at Kakashi and then in answering. "Does it matter?"

"Just answer the freakin' question," Skye said irritably, narrowing her eyes at him. "Jeez."

Gaara glared at her for a straight five seconds. Skye held his gaze, but eventually looked away.

"My brother never shuts up about them," he stated finally.

Kakashi sighed. _So he's gonna be the difficult one._ He made a few marks in his book. Meanwhile, the conversation had picked up again, mainly carried between Skye and Naruto, with Sakura interjecting comments, albeit shyly, here and there. Sai watched, sometimes saying something. Gaara glared at the wall.

It wasn't a conversation, not really; the two teens barely looked at each other, words like _poserfaggot _and _pussymetal _were used a little too often for Kakashi's taste, and it was merely more statements and opinions about the band; an awkward interaction at best.

_But progress. I think._

.

.

.

At the end of class, Kakashi asked Sakura to stay behind. "Are you okay?" he asked, not beating around the bush.

The girl nodded. "I'm fine."

"Those are normal for you?"

Sakura bit her lip. "I – sometimes. Less so, recently."

Kakashi _mhmed._ "Are you on medications for them?"

Sakura shook her head. "Doctors didn't want me to use anti-anxiety drugs, especially if this was going to be a…" she gestured with her hand, "Usual thing. Benzodiazepine can be addictive, and I didn't want that."

Kakashi smiled. That's what he liked to hear; Sakura was well-informed and capable of choosing what she wanted. "Okay. I'm going to have to mark this – and you're going to have to give a form to your mother. Just so she knows."

He sauntered over to one of the tables that were shoved up against the walls of the room and began filling out the form. "So," Kakashi said, bent over the table, "Did you know that all five of you go to the same school?"

He could sense Sakura's not-quite-confusion, the look that kids got when they didn't know what the freaking hell adults were talking about. "Really," she said neutrally.

"Mhm," Kakashi said. "You probably have at least one class with one of them." He straightened and handed the paper. "Have your mother sign this and give it to me tomorrow, okay?"

Sakura nodded. "I will," she said, "Thanks."

Kakashi watched her go, then flipped his binder open to Sai's contact information. With a sigh, he took out his cell phone.

_Now for the fun part._

_x.x.x_

Naruto lay on his bed, arms crossed behind his head. He had been up for the past half hour, but the will to get out of bed eluded him.

He shut his eyes. The house was strange; similar to so many other houses, but so very different.

Not _his_ house. Not the one he wanted to remember.

If he lay still, like this, in the predawn hours, he could almost see it: a blue rug, sea- green walls; a Pokémon pillowcase and an orange bear…

_And flames leaping up around you, smoke clogging your throat –_

His eyes flew open. He had no trouble remembering _that _part, the fire; the one that had taken his parents. Before he went to live with his uncle; before his hell had begun.

_But enough melodrama._

Naruto didn't believe in self-pity; it go you nowhere and made you look like a sniveling brat. Because, he knew, that somewhere, out there, there was someone who had it worse than you.

He also knew that attitude was half of it – positive begets positive. His kindergarten teacher had told him that (ironically enough, when she was putting him in time-out for pulling on a girl's pigtails) and it'd stuck.

Not that he was a naturally optimistic person, or anything.

_Positive._

Shaking his head, Naruto sat up and set his feet onto the floor. Cold, but not freezing; moderate, just like Iruka was. Everything about the man was mild – from his job (elementary school teacher) to his favorite food (noodles of any kind) to his taste (earthy tones).

There were two knocks on the shut door. "Naruto! It's six twenty! You're –"

"Getting dressed!" Naruto called. He heard Iruka's sigh of exasperation. "Okay; what do you want for breakfast?"

This question had always thrown Naruto off guard. With his uncle, he'd had to get himself his own breakfast, and most of the other places he'd lived it was simply cereal.

But Iruka was…well, _nice._ He thought of these things – he never really left Naruto hanging, even though Naruto was sixteen years old and totally responsible for himself.

Well, sometimes.

"Toast," he found himself responding. "Thanks!"

Iruka made a noncommittal noise and went to the kitchen.

Naruto blinked and rubbed his eyes. He _hated_ Thursdays. There was something about them that just didn't sit right with him.

Not to mention Thursday was the second day of the week that he had to go to…what was the name of that place?

He wasn't about to rack his mind for it now. Quickly, he tugged on a pair of jeans and his favorite orange and black t-shirt. He looked at his reflection, mussed up his hair a little more, and tried to avoid looking at the whisker-like marks on his face.

He opted out of going back to sleep, partly because the sooner he started the day the sooner it would be over, and partly because downstairs, fresh toast was waiting for him.

**.**

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**.**

Honors Geometry was Sakura's last class before lunch, so naturally, she was the most distracted during this time. She could handle the first thirty or so minutes okay, but by the time the bell rang, she was ready to be _out _of there.

She transferred the books from her bag into her locker, pretending to be particularly busy as the other students passed. She knew that they weren't looking at her, not really, but some of them had been her friends, before. _Some friends, huh_?

Lunch was the same every day with few variations. She'd run to the cafeteria and sign out because her school was anal-retentive on knowing the location of every student at every moment, then make a beeline for the library or Computer Lab B – where she'd normally start on her homework.

But today – today would be different. Because her dear Aunt Tsunade had suggested something to her mother – something about Sakura making new 'friends' and 'socializing' and 'becoming reintegrated into her peers.' Sakura had called her aunt on that bullshit, but her mother had absolutely eaten it up.

_I'm not asking for you and Ino to kiss and make up, sweetie, I'm just saying, there has to be _one_ person who you can start hanging out with…_

Yeah, probably the only person in the damn school who Sakura didn't know.

_Who also happens to be in your group therapy._

Sakura had been against it – _so_ against it – but her mother had made a bargain: _come home with one friend in two weeks and you can get the lock back on your door._

Well.

She wasn't about to argue with that.

Luckily today was one of her 'good days' – well rested, minimal anxiety – so it wouldn't be _too_ bad. Right?

It was with great purpose and a little anxiety that Sakura approached Skye. She was sitting by herself, hugging the wall, a chemistry book opened in front of her. Sakura took one deep breath and said, "Um…can I sit here?"

Skye looked up, blinked at Sakura. "Can you help me finish this chem homework before next period?"

Sakura immediately felt relieved. _Chemistry. I know chemistry. _"Yes."

"Then go for it." Skye gestured, and Sakura sat. She had chem first period – and had already turned in her homework –but she knew the answers and was, if she did say for herself, freakily good at it. "I didn't know you went to KHS," Sakura said.

Skye shrugged. "I don't think we have any other classes together; I spend most of my lunch in the Art Room. Except now, because Chemistry's a bitch and Asuma is an even bigger one." She snorted. "This isn't even my book. What's fifteen…f?"

"Yea, you mentioned that. That you were into art, I mean. Erm –." Sakura cut herself off and looked down at her hands. "What's the question?"

Skye flipped the textbook over and pointed at the problem. It was a molality problem – "You have to factor it. Here…." She took out a pencil and did the scratch work on the page of the textbook. Skye nodded and copied it down, punching the numbers in the calculator before erasing the work. "Sorry," she explained, "Nothing against you, but I'm not exactly close to Ino, and this is her book…"

"Oh…" Sakura felt herself pale. "Yamanaka?"

Skye nodded. "That's the one."

Sakura swallowed. "Well…any other problems?"

Skye scanned the looseleaf she was writing on, then the book. "Yeah – sixteen b. Then I'm done."

Sakura helped the girl with that problem; when Skye was done, she got up to return the book to Ino.

After Skye left, a boy her in class with unruly brown hair and red tattoos on his face – Kiba, she remembered – slid in next to her. "So, Haruno," he said amicably enough, "Do you just flit from one dyke to another, or is this a plan to show make Ino jealous?"

"_What?_" What was Kiba implying – Sakura was straight, Ino sure as _hell_ was straight, and Sakura had no reason to believe otherwise about Skye, if how she'd gone on about the apparent hot-ness of Kurt Cobain last night…

"You know," Kiba said, slinging an arm around her that was anything but friendly "Is this an ulterior motive to get back into Ino's circle of trust, or do you just gravitate to busty blondes?"

Sakura's first instinct was to punch the fucking daylights out of Kiba, but instead she said, "Skye's not busty."

Which, though true, made her look like a total idiot.

_Fuck._ "Don't _touch_ me," Sakura said, recovering, shrugging his arm off her. "And fuck off." Her face was probably the color of a tomato now, she just _knew_ it…

"You wound me, Sakura," Kiba feigned hurt, but made no move to get up.

"The fuck are you saying, Kiba?" Skye was back, standing to face them and absolutely fuming.

Kiba leaned forward, wagging his eyebrows at her. "The same thing any guy would say about a girl who dumps Sasuke then winds up hanging around _you._"

_Then why the fuck bring up Ino?_ Sakura already knew the answer – this was clearly harassment.

"Go suck a dick," Skye spat, picking up her backpack.

"You mean yours?" Kiba leered, grinning a shit-eating grin.

"Slit your throat, fucktard," Skye sneered, turning on her heel to leave - which he was probably expecting.

Sakura's slap, however, he probably was not.

"Bitch and a half," the boy growled, standing up and staggering back to his table.

X.x.x.

Sakura didn't know how she made it through the rest of the day.

The incident at lunch – it was so _humiliating._ She lay in her room after school that day, the boy's words repeating over and over in her head.

Sakura felt her stomach turn to lead and the place – not where her heart was, but lower, where she knew the solar plexus was – ache. It always went that way, when she thought of him.

She shook her head, but that didn't help rid her of the thoughts.

_Sasuke…_

She had been half in love with that boy. Crushed on him for the _longest _time. Actually had been his _friend_, then fallen into total, deep love with him.

_No. _Infatuation._ That's all. _

But, like everyone else in her life, he abandoned her when things had begun to go downhill. She didn't know how the vicious rumors had started – how she'd allegedly left him because she decided to switch teams –but it couldn't be further from the truth.

"_I can't do this, Sakura. My time has to go to football; I have to practice I have to-."_

"_You're such a bitch sometimes, you know that?"_

"_Stop complaining, my parents are _dead_, what right do you have –"_

"Stop, please," Sakura whispered to herself, tears rolling down her face. "Just stop."

She knew what would make it stop. Once beads of red spilled down her hand, it would all go away, her mind would be empty. She could deal with it better.

But her mother had taken away any and all sharp objects in her room, and her brother –

Two raps on the door, then it opened a crack. Her brother's face popped in. "Hey, Sak. I'm driving you to the Catalyst tonight; we're gonna leave in ten."

She nodded, and he, after seeing that she wasn't hurting herself, closed the door.

Sakura buried her face in her knees and hugged her legs to her chest. _No…_

That would mean seeing Skye.

Sakura felt her stomach tighten. She had just stormed off…not that Sakura could blame her, she had wanted to just _die_ right then as well…

_What's she gonna think?_

Sakura didn't want to face the world. That was the last thing she wanted to do. But, as if someone else was pulling her strings, at ten minutes to seven she climbed into her brother's car and sat quietly as he drove her to therapy.

X.x.x

He shuffled his papers – Sakura's mother's signature on the medical slip was added to the pile, along with a note he'd received from Sai's guardian. Sai's top, he noticed, did not show any midriff today.

"Okay!" Kakashi said, perhaps a little too brightly, "Now that we're all here, we're going to talk about scars."

He watched the reaction of the teenagers. Naruto looked at him quizzically. Sakura shrunk in on herself. Gaara frowned.

"Day three, the hell begins," Naruto muttered. Kakashi decided to ignore this.

"Why scars?" Sai asked. "Doesn't everyone have them, no matter how small? From the skin tissue not healing fully?"

"There are several different types of scars." Kakashi said, neutrally. "Physical ones, yes. And emotional ones."

"The dark lion from The Lion King has a scar." Skye said thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty sure he's _called _Scar." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded.

"Isn't that a child's movie?" Sai asked. Skye scoffed. "It's frickin _awesome._"

Kakashi _mhmed._ "Well, movies aside, I'm pretty sure all of you have some type of scar."

"So?" Sakura said defensively.

Gaara snorted. "No shit. It's why we're here."

"Language," Kakashi chided lightly. Gaara glared at him.

"So what do you think?" he said, not unkindly. "By definition, scars are marks left by the healing of injured tissue. You guys – you may be healed, but you haven't come out unmarred. Your scars – whether physical or emotional – are the reason you're here."

Skye already had a response. "On a physical level, scars give people character."

"_What?"_ The sound of disbelief came from Gaara, surprisingly enough. Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Yea, what he said."

Skye shrugged. "You know, when a character – like the guy from The Lion King – has a scar, it adds to their…character."

"I see where you're coming from." Sai said thoughtfully. "It marks them out, makes them special. You know to identify them by their mark." He paused. "But when the scar is self-inflicted, it's just pitiful."

"Seriously man," Naruto said tightly, "Shut up. Before I fucking punch you."

Kakashi shot him a patronizing look, though he agreed.

"Sai." Kakashi said warningly but inwardly he was practically screaming _POT CALLING KETTLE!_ Sakura was looking down, pointedly keeping quiet and not trying to be noticed. "Did you just give yourself some very probably scars last night?"

Sai kept quiet.

Kakashi cleared his throat. _Thought so. _"So, Gaara. What do _you _think of scars?"

Gaara was quiet for so long that Kakashi thought he wasn't going to respond. But finally, he said, "What happens when you reopen them?"

Kakashi didn't know how to answer that one; Sakura, however, did.

"They bleed," she said quietly.

X.x.x. **4**

Kakashi sighed and shuffled through the papers that littered his kitchen table. Today was Friday, which meant that there was no therapy, no plans; a day devoted solely to whatever endeavor he chose to pursue.

Tonight it was his class.

He didn't like calling them his patients; it sounded too formal. He'd be damned if he referred to them as his _wards._ No, class, students; those terms suited him much better. He _was_ a teacher, in certain respects.

He picked out the five sheets and sighed again, like a man three times his age would. They didn't call his class the end of the line for nothing; the kids that were sent to him were usually (at least according to most psychologists) beyond help. What most people didn't understand was the difference between a legitimate mental _disorder_ and a troubled kid – it was about the same as the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist (which was also about eight hundred dollars an hour.) They didn't require medicine, but traditional therapy didn't work on them. He could get through to them, though. At least most of the time. He remembered what his university child psychology professor had said, way back when: sometimes a kid was so far down the deep end that there was no fishing him out; all you could do was give him a rope and hope that he got the sense to swim up.

_Or, _Kakashi had figured, _you can get a bunch of the deep end kids and have them help each other swim up._

That was his philosophy. Get a bunch of kids who were desperately crying for something, and sooner or later they'd relate to each other. He was just the supervisor. It worked better than it sounded; once the kids get past a certain point, they begin to communicate; they _tell _their stories, and then he can sweep in and help them. In theory, by the time the class 'graduated,' they'd not only walk away with the general stuff one gets from therapy, but friends. Real, true friends.

This group though...

Some groups took longer than others to warm up to each other. That was natural. But he had a feeling that this group would be particularly tough.

He had banked his hopes on Skye and Naruto, hoped that they, as the designated extroverts, would help warm the atmosphere.

He had been proved horrendously wrong.

He looked down at the teens' respective files. _Naruto's coping mechanisms are better than most people's but…_

Kakashi hated that word. _But._ There was always a 'but.'

_He's simply too…too _Naruto._ Blunt, loud, a little dim. Not bad in any other situation but it's a different story here._

Naruto was great _but_ too much. Naruto was happy _but _too loud. We could help Naruto _but_ he gets too angry.

And, it seemed, Kakashi was just beginning to see that anger.

And Skye…

_A wiseass if I ever saw one. She's playing this game though; she's too sharp in more ways than one to let any of the others in easily. Doesn't even try to fit in. She's got that look…_

He was torn between frustration and admiration when his 'students' knew what he was doing and tried to be one step ahead. Those were always the hardest to break. _Talking, but not _telling.

There was always that one.

He took a look at Sakura's folder. Pre – breakdown, she had been top of her class, surrounded by friends. Happy. That was Before – an actual, definitive, capital-B Before.

_Before her stepfather went batshit and brought everything to the surface. _Cases like Sakura's really sickened Kakashi – not at his student, no, but at the world. _As long as creeps like that exist, _Kakashi mused, _the world will never know peace. _

Now she was quiet, too quiet. Kakashi knew her type well.

_She wants to speak but can't find her voice. She'd be wonderful at making friends if –_

Another one of his hated words. _If._ There was _always, _always and 'if.' '_If_ she could tell her story, all of this could've been avoided. _If_ he hadn't gone into the room at that time, he would've survived.'

_If Sakura could break out of her shell, she'd be a great friend. It'd help the others tons, and herself even more. But _– and there was that but – _she's too anxious. Flighty. Maybe a little angry._

Sakura wanted friends, he knew; maybe not even _friends._ Just _a _friend. Her grades, he noticed, had been kept up throughout the turmoil of the past year – Kakashi was unsure if this was a natural intelligence or rigorous studying.

_Probably both,_ he figured. _She's bright. Probably a little type A – that fits in with the self-harm and bulimia angle…though I doubt she has an eating disorder. _

He took the next file. Sai's file.

He hadn't always been that way, it seemed. He had had a brother, or something awfully close. Then the accident happened and he shut down – he was estranged from his father, his adoptive brother was proclaimed missing, thought to be dead. And Sai…

_The broken one. He tries but –_Kakashi inwardly cringed –_ doesn't know how. Or he doesn't care. Something gave him the wrong idea, sent him over the edge. If he could –_

Another one of his 'favorite' words. _Could._ 'I _could_, but I didn't.' 'He _could've_ saved her, but chose not to.'

_If Said could loosen up, have some interaction with people his age, it'd do him some good. Hell, it'd practically solve all his problems. _

He stared hard at the next file before actually looking at it.

_Gaara._

He had a past similar to Naruto. The others had _known_ some kind of normalcy before their downward spirals began. Naruto had been raised by his abusive uncle since age four and hardly remembered his parents; Gaara was in a similar position, having endured the cruelty of his father all his life.

_The others, hell, even _Sai_ have a vague, if not twisted, way of how society, how _people _work. He has absolutely no idea. It's like teaching a violent kindergartener, with an all more abstract subject matter. _

The question was how _stable _was he?

_Doesn't seem like the suicidal type. No, almost every other therapist he's been to has stated that he's more likely to kill someone else. And given his record…_

That kid had been in at least two dozen _recorded_ fights in the past two years, and God knows how many before that. He'd been arrested for being out past curfew exactly five times; when he was thirteen, he'd attempted suicide by slitting his wrists; when he was fourteen he'd brought a knife to school – and had been expelled, thusly having to repeat the eighth grade.

_He's going to be the real problem. Everyone has given up on him; he probably expects me to do the same. He _likes _being feared, because it's the only form of acknowledgement he can get. When he finally cracks…_Kakashi shook his head. _Hell will be unleashed. I'm going to have to keep an eye on his especially…_

At least none of them had a history of legitimate drug abuse.

Kakashi held the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. _We have a _long_ way to go._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gaara was about two seconds away from punching his brother in the face.

"Shut up," he growled, not bothering to even look at Kankuro. The older boy looked like he was about to protest, but a sharp look from Temari warned him otherwise.

Gaara shut his eyes and sat as still as a statue for the rest of the car ride. Usually with Temari driving, car trips took half of the regular time, but after the first ten minutes, being this close to his siblings made Gaara's skin crawl.

He didn't know why Temari insisted on picking him up from school every Friday, or why Kankuro tagged along more often than not. It was pointless discomfort, he had pointed out, but this was one subject in which he couldn't bully his sister into giving in on.

He usually had more luck in getting Kankuro to listen, anyway.

They pulled into their house ten minutes later. Gaara ignored his sister's questions regarding dinner and stalked up to his room.

"You really think making him go to that group thing is helping?" Kankuro's voice drifted up through the ventilation system. They were in the kitchen, directly below Gaara's room.

He heard a _huff_ of air that must've been Temari. "It's been three sessions, Kankuro. What do you expect, that he'll come home and be better like magic?"

"I don't know…Temari, there's something wrong with him. Not just that he's angry but…he's not _social._ He doesn't date, doesn't like video games. Can hardly stand _any_ music I try and introduce him to…it's not _right._"

Kankuro was saying more, but Gaara had stopped listening. He felt himself grow angry, felt the familiar hot feeling rise in his chest. _Wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with me? I'm FINE! _

"I'm FINE!" He said the last part out loud, screamed at his ceiling. Without even thinking, he slammed his fist through his window.

His sister came rushing up the stairs, threw open his door. "Gaara!" she exclaimed. "What happened –"

He brushed past her, past his brother, ignored their worried shouts after him. He threw open the front door and stormed off into the night.

He barely registered the pain in his hand.

.

.

.


	3. Chapter 3

"Today," Kakashi said to his students, "We're going to talk about family. Parents. Siblings."

He noticed the subtle change in the teenagers; Naruto actually looked serious; something shifted under Sai's expressionless mask; Sakura rubbed the inside of her wrist with her thumb; Skye crossed her arms; the corner of Gaara's mouth twitched.

_None of them are going to like where this is going. _

"What about them?" Sai asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well who here has a sister or brother?"

Sakura raised her hand; Skye twitched her fingers at him, and Gaara gave a _hn _that Kakashi took for a yes.

"Okay then, Sakura. Tell us about them." Kakashi sat back. Sometimes with kids, you just had to go in for the kill. Plus he hated to beat around the bush.

Sakura's cheeks turned pink. "Well…I have a brother. He's in college, at the University. But he lives at home."

"What's he majoring in?" Kakashi asked. Sometimes these kids needed a push.

"Bioengineering," Sakura answered. "Unless he changed it again."

"Bioengineering. Huh. He's smart then?" Kakashi said.

Sakura shrugged. "I guess."

"Well. Smart older brother. How about you, Skye?"

Skye shrugged. "Older brother and sister. He dorms with his buddies at the University and my sister lives with me."

"What about your parents?" Sai asked. Kakashi inwardly winced, though the boy wasn't confrontational. He actually sounded curious.

Skye's eyes narrowed. "What about them? I was asked about my _siblings._"

"Yes, you were," Kakashi said before Sai could say anything accidentally offensive. "So, what are they like?"

Skye shrugged. "Overprotective."

"Speaking as one, older brothers are. I'd get used to it." Kakashi said dryly. A corner of Skye's mouth twitched.

_Now here's the real fun. Let's see what Gaara will say._ These kids didn't know it, but Kakashi could tell a lot about them from what they said. Sakura was proud of her brother and wanted the best for him; Skye came across as indifferent, but Kakashi sensed a sort of distant affection.

"Gaara, you said you had brothers or sisters?"

Gaara exhaled. "Yes."

"How many?"

"One sister. One brother."

_So this is how it's gonna be. _"What are they like?"

Gaara didn't miss a beat. "A pain in the ass."

Naruto shifted. "At least you _have_ siblings."

Kakashi stopped, partly because he wanted to see where this was going and partly because he didn't like intervening too much. They needed to learn to converse, to work things out. Kakashi rationalized that he was there for moral support, for directing conversation, and making sure that no one killed each other.

"Oh? You think family is such a great thing?" Gaara sneered.

"Better than being alone all your life!"

Gaara laughed then; cold, humorless…it sent a chill up even Kakashi's spine. It was…psychopathic, almost. _Crazy. _

"You think you know true loneliness? True loneliness is not being alone. It is being surrounded by others. Others who do not love, or hate you. Others who do not even acknowledge your existence. That's why it is better to only love yourself."

_Uh oh. A breakdown's coming soon. _

Truthfully, Kakashi wouldn't have pinned Gaara to be the first; not the last, no that would be Sai or Skye. But definitely not the first.

"You know what? Wallowing in self-pity like that? No _wonder_ that you're –"

"Why do you exist?" Gaara rounded on Naruto, eyes intense. Too intense.

Naruto blinked. "_What?"_

"For what purpose do you exist? What reason is there behind your existence? Can you prove that you have a purpose?" Gaara was breathing heavily now, facing the other boy.

Sai watched on with a strange observance, like a scientist observing animals. Sakura was looking down, biting her lip. Strangely, Skye looked pale and wide-eyed, like a deer caught in headlights.

They just stared at each other for a moment, then Naruto _heh_ed. "Yea. I do. Can you say the same?"

Kakashi saw it coming a minute before it happened. Gaara stood, so quickly that the chair he was sitting in toppled over.

Naruto flinched, as if Gaara was about to hit him. Gaara made a disgusted sound and in one swift motion, backhanded the blonde boy.

"Hey!" Naruto objected, jumping to his feet.

Kakashi stood, put out an arm in front of Naruto's chest.

"Gaara!"

Gaara turned back, and if looks could kill, Kakashi would be dead. Then he stalked out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto could not believe it. That bastard had freakin hit him!

"What is _wrong _with that guy?" he said to no one in particular.

Kakashi shook his head. "If only I knew. Naruto, are you alright?"

"I'll live," he muttered.

"You saw this coming, didn't you?" Sakura said quietly.

_What? _Naruto looked at Kakashi. _Don't tell me she's right!_

"It's not unusual for…people to have a breakdown." He said evenly.

Skye snorted. "If you saw that coming, then you know that's just the tip of the iceberg. Shit's gonna hit the fan soon. _Five times over._ That is, if you're right."

"About what Gaara said…he _does_ have a valid point, you know. About existing for a reason." Sai pointed out.

Kakashi sighed. "Now you're getting too philosophical. Look, believe it or not, that's _progress._ Granted, not exactly ideal, but –'"

"Ideal? Naruto was _punched in the face._" Sakura said crossly.

Naruto grinned. "Technically, I was slapped. But thanks for worrying."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Shut up." _Ouch._

"Calm down. Look, don't get the idea that I'm gonna stand for violence during the session. I'm not. I've seen worse, and I'm sure all of you have too. I'm going to call Gaara's house and tell what happened. The rest of you are going to go home and be back here tomorrow, same time. Okay?"

_Jeez, this guy makes everything sound so simple,_ Naruto thought. His face stung where Gaara had slapped him, but other than that he was fine. Gaara wasn't that much bigger than him, and Naruto knew how to fight. If he needed to, he could defend himself.

The teenagers all made their sounds of consent and motioned to leave. "Naruto," Kakashi called. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

_Great, another teacher to deal with._ "About what?" Naruto couldn't keep the exasperation out of his tone.

Kakashi chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not about to lecture you. I just don't want what Gaara said to get to you."

Naruto snorted. "Are you kidding? His philosophy is totally messed up. I mean seriously. It's not that hard to find a reason to live."

"Really?" Kakashi sounded surprised, intrigued. He arched an eyebrow.

Naruto nodded. "Yup. That guy's misguided if I ever seen it…but he's also like me." He grinned sheepishly.

_Both_ of Kakashi's eyebrows went up. "How so?"

Naruto shrugged. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "I'm… not sure."

Now Kakashi looked skeptical. "Then how do you know?"

Naruto felt his mouth twist, the same way it did when Iruka talked about his uncle or when Naruto would say something self-degrading.

"His eyes. They're like mine."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Sakura entered the lunchroom with the usual feeling of dread. Usually she'd outright avoid it like the plague and eat outside. But it was getting too cold for that…and deep down, Sakura yearned for some kind of contact.

Last year had been different. She had sat with _that_ crowd, the one that was always laughing and making plans. The one that seemed much better than it was.

The one that she tried to avoid now, the crowd that would make her duck down and stare at her feet until they passed.

_That_ crowd.

She lifted her eyes upward, just to see if there were any empty tables, hoping that maybe Skye was sitting somewhere. She was at her usual table, and so was some blond guy. He caught sight of Sakura and waved her over.

_Great. It's Naruto._

Sakura didn't have any choice but to make her way over.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto called when she was within earshot. "Come here for a sec!"

Skye beckoned Sakura to come sit next to her. "You like Shattered, right?" Naruto asked before she could even sit down.

Sakura nodded, unsure of where this was going. "Yea…"

Naruto grinned. "Well, therapy is cancelled for tonight. And there's this band playing at the café at six. You in?"

"Way to be specific," Sakura said dryly.

"Er, the café's called 'Ringleader's…'" Naruto said, _heh heh –_ing nervously.

"It's not too far from school. And the band's rumored to be one of the better ones; they covered one of Shattered's songs. And there's a couple more that are gonna play," Skye interjected smoothly.

"On a _Wednesday?" _Sakura asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Usually more popular ones play on the weekends. So, you in? Skye's coming. Right?" He cast a hopeful glance at Skye.

The girl shrugged. "Why not? Worst comes to worst the coffee sucks and the band makes my ears bleed. I've got nothing better to do." She looked at Sakura. "How bout you?"

Sakura paused. She wasn't sure if her mother would go for it. Then again, she was also always nagging Sakura to make friends, enjoy her high school years because they weren't last forever.

"Alright. I'm in."

Naruto grinned. "Sweet! Be there at five thirty."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Therapy was cancelled." Sakura said to her mother. The woman looked up from her laundry folding. "I heard."

"And there's this band playing at Ringleader's." Sakura wrung her hands nervously.

Her mother sighed and put the freshly folded jeans down. "Where's this going, Sakura?"

"Well, I was, ah, wondering if I could go? With some…" She didn't know what to call them. "friends?" Sakura swallowed, waiting for her mother's reaction.

"I don't know. The crowd that hangs out around there…and it's a school night."

Sakura didn't know how much she had wanted to go until she was hit in the face with disappointment.

"It's just a couple kids from school!" She insisted. "Please, Mom? It's –"

But her mother was shaking her head. "Sakura –"

"Aw, just let her go," he brother stepped in. "The supposed 'crowd' it a bunch of music obsessed teens who enjoy wearing all black and facial piercings, something you can find at your average shopping mall."

"And it's not like the people I'm going with are like that!" Well. Not necessarily true. Skye had a tendency to dress in black for a good 80% of her attire, and who knew what Naruto wore? Sakura herself had a grungy-ish fashion style, but she employed a variety of color, if only to keep her mother off her back. But neither of them had piercings…well, ones that were visible.

"See? It's music. She'll be fine. Come on, Sak, I'll drive you." Her brother ran his hands through his hair and said, "Just lemme know when."

Sakura cast a glance at her mother; the woman had her eyes cast downward and was looking like she wanted to say something.

Sakura was going to say something, but something, some outside force stopped her and she silently followed her brother out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Naruto loved Ringleader's. The coffee was great, the chairs were comfortable, and there was almost always a live show. What more could a guy want?

The inside was usually dim, set in a white-ebony-gray-red color scheme. Paintings of all kinds (done by local artists, Naruto had been told) covered the walls and were ever changing. You never stepped into the same Ringleader's twice.

Naruto just hoped that Sakura liked it.

Well, Skye too; but she had arrived a few minutes ago and had immediately ordered a coffee. She obviously knew her way around, or at least was comfortable.

And…well he kinda sorta maybe had the tiniest crush on Sakura.

But that was another matter.

Naruto had already claimed a booth when Sakura arrived.

"Hey!" He called, grinning. Sakura approached and slid in the seat opposite him. "Where's Skye?"

He jerked his thumb in the direction of the counter across the room. "Buying her third coffee. Seriously, someone that short shouldn't have that much caffeine in their system."

"Hey! I heard that! And who're you calling short?" Skye hit him upside the head and sat down next to Sakura. She was carrying two drinks, one that she handed to Sakura. "Try it, it's like a toungasm."

"You're like what, five feet tall?" Naruto said, rubbing his head. "And did you really have to do that?"

"Five-two!" Skye said indignantly. "And, yes, I did." She grinned.

Sakura, meanwhile, was staring down at her coffee cup. "What is this?" She asked Skye.

The other girl grinned. "Mint and vanilla and coffee. Great, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Amazing."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "How the heck do you two drink that crap?" Seriously, coffee was disgusting. It smelled nice, but that was about as far as it got.

Skye mock-gasp and Sakura looked scandalized. "I am going to pretend," Skye said with a patient deliverance, "That I did not just hear that."

"What? It's just not good."

"God, must you be so loud?" Sakura asked crossly. "Here, just take mine. Taste for yourself. And if you give me mono, I swear to God…" She thrust her drink over to him.

Naruto stared at her. "That's about the most you've said in the entire…week that I've known you."

He saw her freeze, watched as her cheeks turned pink. "Well, I –"

He grinned. "It's not a _problem,_ per say. I was just pointing it out."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "In that case, I'll take my coffee back."

"Shh!" Skye said. "Not that I mind your awkward semi-flirtatious banter and all, but they're about to come on!"

As soon as she said it, the café quieted. A lanky boy with almost-white hair down to the middle of his back took the mike. "Hello people of Ringleader's!"

The crowd made their assorted noises of greeting.

"C'mon, you can do better than that!"

The noise was a few decibels louder.

"Wonderful. So, to start you off tonight, I'd figure we'd do a cover of a band that we all know and love. I'm not gonna even introduce it, you should know this one. And if you don't, well, get outta here!"

Naruto recognized the first chord; he turned to the girls and grinned. Skye looked like someone had handed her Christmas, and Sakura was smiling.

_This is so awesome!_

**Long ago  
Just like the hearse you die to get in again  
We are so far from you**

Burning on just like a match you strike to incinerate  
The lives of everyone you know  


Their entire table was doing their own little sing along now, and adrenaline pumped through Naruto's veins. The music was loud and the band did not butcher one of his favorite songs. **  
**

**And what's the worst you take  
From every heart you break  
And like the blade you stain  
Well I've been holding on tonight**

What's the worst that I could say  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and goodnight  
So long and goodnight

Came a time  
When every star fall brought you to tears again  
We are the very hurt you sold

And what's the worst you take  
From every heart you break  
And like the blade you stain  
Well I've been holding on tonight  


The entire Café was singing along now, and on an impulse, Naruto grabbed both of the girls by the wrists and dragged them in front of the stage. Some guys were trying to start a mosh pit, but the majority of the people were jumping in time with the tune; the three teenagers joined right in.

**What's the worst that I could say  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and goodnight  
So long and goodnight  
And if you carry on this way  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and goodnight  
So long and goodnight**

Can you hear me  
Are you near me  
Can we pretend to leave and then  
We'll meet again  
When both our cars collide

What's the worst that I could say  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and goodnight  
So long and goodnight  
And if you carry on this way  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and goodnight  
So long and goodnight

The last chord faded. "For those of you who want to know, that was "Helena" but Shattered. Now, this little number's called 'Revolt.' Can I get a 'HELL YEA?!"

"HELL YEA!" Naruto screamed along with the rest of the crowd.

Great music, supposedly great coffee and...well, Naruto hoped, great friends.

_What more could a guy want?_


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura awoke the next morning still riding the high from last night. Not from any drug, no; but the adrenaline that sang through her veins, the music that pounded in her ears, her heart beating with the bass line.

She wished that she could feel like that all the time. Life was better that way, things were _enjoyable_, something that they hadn't been in a long time. Hell, even Naruto hadn't gotten under her skin that much. He was actually a pretty nice guy, she begrudgingly admitted.

_So…does that make us friends?_

She tried to think back, on how she had become so close with _them_, her old crew. But either it had been so long ago, (like in first grade when your best friend like the same color as you or shared their crayons) or it had just _happened._

Sakura took a deep breath, tried to calm her erratic heartbeat. It wasn't like her anxiety attacks though. It was…nice. Something that made her feel all…happy.

Sakura didn't fully realize it, but something big happened that morning. Something for the first time in God-knows how long.

For the first time in months, Sakura actually _wanted _to wake up. For the first time in months, an entire morning passed when she didn't even think about her razor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Sakura had hung out with the _other_ crowd, there was always the unwritten rule of hierarchy: There was the one girl, and maybe a guy, who were the head. Certain people could say certain things, but some of those same things were unacceptable for anyone else.

Naruto and Skye were completely different.

Skye wasn't the type to hold _anything _in. Sakura learned this pretty quickly. Naruto would be blunt and obvious, and had been hit upside the head at least twice by either of the girls within the first fifteen minutes of lunch already.

"Jeez," Naruto said after one such incident. "You guys keep doing that and you'll give me brain damage."

Skye grinned. "Too late."

Sakura laughed. "How about you say something intelligent for once?"

"Lemme get my bio book," he said, and grinned. "Seriously I _hate_ that class."

Skye grinned. "See, that's why I took it as a freshman. Bio sucks big time but it's mandatory. Chem, on the other hand…"

Sakura snorted. "Bio is so much better. Chem is like your mind being melted."

Skye shook her head. "Whatever floats your boat. Anyway," she cast a glance at the clock. "I'm gonna head to the art room. See you guys later tonight." And she slung her messenger bag over her shoulder and was off.

Before an awkward silence could settle in, Naruto turned to Sakura. "So you're smart, then?"

Sakura felt her cheeks go warm. "I guess…"

"That works. Can you help me with Geometry?" Naruto turned the book so she could see it. "Problem twenty has me stumped."

Sakura read the problem. "It's not that hard, really, just draw a figure and…" she continued explaining it, just short of actually doing the problem for him. She was so concentrated on her work that she didn't see Naruto grin. She didn't know that he didn't need her help (at least not in math). She didn't know that his class hadn't even gotten that far in the book.

Naruto had simply wanted Sakura to talk to him.

Preferably _without_ having an anxiety attack.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

This Thursday was different. Tonight, Naruto didn't mind going to the Catalyst.

Between last night and today, he was happy. Content. Skye was an…_interesting_ person to talk to, and Sakura had both gone to the Café and sat with him at lunch.

Naruto was pleased by small accomplishments.

Iruka was calling him. "Naruto! Come on, you're going to be late!"

"Coming!" Naruto grabbed his jacket –his favorite one, orange and black - and shrugged into it as he scrambled out the door.

Iruka chuckled to himself as Naruto barreled past him and into the car, but at the same time felt his heart go out to him, like it did every time he saw the scars. _What kind of monster would do that to a kid?_

But he hid it well. Naruto didn't know that Iruka pitied him; he suspected it, because most adults had. They didn't say anything, but it was obvious on their faces. _I don't want to be pitied! _

But, he reminded himself, Sakura and Skye hadn't said anything.

_Doesn't mean they weren't _thinking _it. _

Naruto internally sighed. He didn't want to have this argument with himself.

_Heh. Arguing with yourself. Maybe you _do_ need therapy. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The car ride went quick. Naruto said good-bye to Iruka and strolled up to the other kids. Everyone, minus Gaara, (and Kakashi, but he was perpetually late) was there.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "Oh and thanks for the help with Geometry, Sakura."

"No problem," she said shyly, not meeting his eyes. _Jeez. The only time she's not shy is when she's yelling at someone – _

"Hey!" Sakura said indignantly. Gaara had appeared and roughly brushed past her, nearly pushed her down.

He turned. "What?"

The temperature dropped a few degrees. "What's _wrong _with you? Jeez, at least say excuse me or something!"

Gaara took a step closer to her. "What?" his voice was rough and deathly quiet. Sakura, however, was too caught up in her indignation to pick up the vibe.

"You heard m- " but she was cut off. By Gaara's fist colliding with her face. Sakura went back with the force of it and fell.

That did it for Naruto. For one, Gaara was a guy. Guys just don't hit girls. For another, he was a lot bigger than Sakura, taller by a head and obviously a seasoned fighter, by the looks of him.

So, in his mind, Naruto was totally justified in knocking Gaara to the ground.

"What's _wrong with you?"_ he snarled, pinning the boy. They wrestled on the ground for a couple seconds, and it was beginning to look more like a serious fight. Then Gaara growled and threw Naruto off him. "Little shit."

Naruto flew back but landed on his feet. "There's a word for guys who hit girls," he sneered.

Gaara swung at him. He was used to fighting, Naruto could see. Well, so was he. Naruto danced out of the other boy's reach. "Come on!" Gaara taunted. "Fight!"

"Fine!" he snarled. Naruto went for a punch to the gut. Gaara took it and gripped Naruto's shoulders. From there he took the blond to the ground. Naruto was vaguely aware of Skye backing up, of Sakura leaning against the tree looking scared shitless.

"What is she to you!?" Gaara screamed. "Why did you have to interfere?" Each word was punctuated by a punch.

Naruto took them. His body hurt, but he couldn't, _wouldn't_ let Gaara win. Not after what he did.

"_She's my friend!"_ Naruto heaved up and bashed his forehead against the other boy's. This shocked Gaara long enough for Naruto to get in a _really_ nice jab to the solar plexus.

Right before Kakashi grabbed both boys by the back of their shirts and pulled them off each other.

He looked mad as hell.

"What. Happened." It wasn't even a question. He was scary calm, just like one of Naruto's foster care 'parents' had been. It had been ten times scarier than any drunken rage his uncle could've summoned up. And that was saying something.

"This _bastard_ just punched a girl!"

Kakashi sighed. "So chivalry isn't all dead," he muttered darkly. "Skye, help Sakura. Get her some ice, take her home."

He turned to the two boys, both of whom he still held in place. "The two of you," Naruto didn't miss the dark, foreboding tone, "with me. Class cancelled."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	6. Chapter 6

Skye watched Kakashi practically drag both Naruto and Gaara into the building. She swallowed, and shook her head as if to rid it of the image of the boys beating the crap out of each other.

_That's too much like what happened…_she touched the faint scar on her face and turned to Sakura. She was on the ground, leaned against the wrought-iron fence, and hyperventilating. Sai was just standing there.

Skye knelt next to Sakura and saw the bruise blooming on her face. "Come on, Sakura. Let's get you some coffee." She didn't know if Sakura heard her; Skye slung the other girl's arm around her shoulder, to help her up –that proved to be a mistake.

"No!" Sakura lashed out. Skye ducked out of her reach. "Sakura, what's wrong?!"

Sakura looked around, almost paralyzed, like a deer caught in headlights. She tried to speak, but she could only manage to (barely) calm her fitful breathing.

"What should I do?" Sai asked Skye.

"Just…come with me. Sakura, you too." Skye glanced at the sun. "We have maybe twenty minutes to sunset. I want to be inside by then."

She turned to them; Sai looked perplexed, and Sakura looked scared. "Look, we'll be fine. Sakura –" Skye cut herself off. "Will you be okay to walk?"

Sakura gave a tiny nod.

Skye nodded back. "Good. Alright. Come with me."

She turned down the sidewalk and they walked into the nearest café.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto was forced roughly into a chair. He noted, with a smug satisfaction, that Gaara was subject to the same treatment. They faced each other, blue eyes boring holes green.

"Now I have mentioned before that I do not tolerate any violence whatsoever in my class." He stood, not facing either of the two boys. The air in the room grew thick with tension.

"Hey, he started it! He _hit a girl._" Naruto couldn't help himself. Something inside him was physically sickened by that – it was a simple fact even _kindergarteners_ knew.

Kakashi turned to look at Naruto, and with the look the older man gave him, Naruto should've withered and died on the spot.

"Yes, Naruto," Kakashi's voice was deadly soft. "You mentioned that. But I also saw you and Gaara hitting each other."

Kakashi turned to Gaara. "How do you justify this?"

Gaara returned Kakashi's look with one of his own. It was a while before he said, levelly, "She said that something was wrong with me."

Kakashi actually stopped for a second. In that time, Gaara continued, "And he interfered."

_Wow. Kakashi missing a beat. Who'd ever think that?_ But as soon as the though entered Naruto's head, Kakashi said, "And how did Naruto interfere?"

"I tackled him, the bastard!" Naruto said vehemently.

"And why did you do that?" Kakashi asked him.

"Because he _hit Sakura!_" Naruto almost screamed. "Don't you get it? This guy showed up, barely said two words, and then punched Sakura in the face! I mean really, what sick twisted person _does _that?"

"You'd be surprised," Kakashi muttered, barely audible. "Alright. Fine. Since _we're_ going in circles, looks like the two of you will have to work this one out. _Alone._" There was a sort of glint to his eye.

Naruto swallowed. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like this.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura followed Skye into the diner. It was one of those family-owned places, with booths and tables and a 'bar,' right across from the actual bar. She was calmer now, her breathing easier. Her hands, however, still shook. And the left side of her face hurt.

Skye motioned them to a booth. "Sit there and gimme a sec."

Sakura slid into the booth. Sai took the seat across from her. He was staring curiously at her face.

"What?" she hissed.

"There's a giant bruise on your face," he stated simply. Sakura looked down and touched it, pressing her fingertips to it lightly. She winced. It hurt. J

_How the hell am I going to explain this to my parents?_

Something cold was pressed into her palm. "Here," Skye said. "Ice it. The bruise will go away faster."

Sakura took it. "Thanks," she half-whispered, putting the bag of ice to her face.

Skye nodded, and sat next to her.

"What was going _on _with them?" Sakura asked, staring at her free hand. Skye was right, the ice was helping, but her face was going numb.

"They were angry," Sai stated simply.

Skye shook her head. "It was…more than that….something had to trigger Gaara…to punch Sakura. And that triggered Naruto to tackle Gaara."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "That guy…" Gaara, it seemed, didn't need much to 'trigger' him to do anything. "Gaara's just…messed up."

Skye shrugged. "Maybe. But cause and effect. Something _caused _him to go berserk, and the _effect _is him punching you. To put it bluntly." She tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "But you're right," she added softly. "He has a hair trigger temper. A dangerous one."

Before any of them could respond, a waiter came up to them. "If you're not ordering, I'm gonna ask you to leave."

"Finally. Jeez, the service here is slow. I'll take the coffee, no milk no cream. She'll take a vanilla ice cream and he wants the crab fries."

The waiter scowled but jotted their order down and stalked away.

Sakura looked at Skye oddly. "Why'd you order all that?"

Skye shrugged. "You need to get some food in you after getting hit like that. And boys eat all the time."

Sakura giggled and Sai shrugged. "She has a point."

"Yes I do. I just wish the waiters weren't douchebags," Skye said, making a face.

"Fact of life, babe," a passing waitress said. "They all are."

Skye grinned. "I'll keep that in mind," she mused. "Anyway. You okay?" She directed the last part to Sakura.

Sakura shrugged. Getting hit, having an anxiety attack, and walking in the freezing cold didn't exactly make her night. "I'm fine," she said.

"Food's here," Skye said. "You can take the ice off. In another twenty minutes, put it on, okay?"

Sakura set the bag of ice down and stared at the ice cream, not bothering to mention that she _knew_ how icing your face went, thankyouverymuch. "How did you know we'd like this?" Sai voiced her thoughts.

"So you do? Good." Skye grinned roguishly. "Cause I guessed. Blindly."

Sakura didn't know why, but she found this insanely funny. She began laughing, and she couldn't stop. Something inside her snapped. Not like how the thing in Gaara had snapped. Like…like all the tension inside of her had suddenly been syphoned away. She laughed until tears began streaming down her face, until her sides hurt.

When she was done, she laid her head against the back of the seat and sighed. Then she realized what had happened. She felt her face grow red. _Great Sakura, way to look like an idiot._

She looked up and found Skye and Sai staring at her. "Um…"

Skye bumped her shoulder. "It's all good. You needed to get that out of you."

Sai nodded. "Or you would've 'internally exploded.'"

Skye grinned. "Yea, you know us therapy kids and how…unstable we are."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow, some way, he ended up locked in a closet with Gaara, his hands duct taped behind his back.

"Great. Just great," he muttered, after a solid five minutes of screaming for Kakashi to let him out. And man, was his head _hurting._

_This'll teach you to never headbutt anyone again._

"Will you shut up?" Gaara said from his corner. Naruto's eyes had adjusted to the light (or lack thereof) and he could see the dark bruise on Gaara's forehead. _At least he's hurting as much as me._

"No, I don't think I will." Naruto said. His last thoughts had just hit him in the face. Hard._ Maybe he's been through as much shit as I have, too. That'd explain some things._ "You and I, we're alike in a lot of ways. Except I don't go around punching girls in the face."

Gaara's laugh was cold and humorless. _Great. A creepy laugh in a dark closet. And I'm tied up. Wonderful._

"Alike, huh? The two of us…couldn't be any more different."

"No," Naruto said, seriously. He didn't know it, but the sudden change in his tone made Gaara actually listen to what he was saying. "You're like me. You know what it's like to live in your own personal hell. To have everyone hate you, and not know why. To be different."

Gaara didn't say anything for a while. There was only the sound of their breathing. "I took the life of the woman I was supposed to call my mother in the very process of being born," he sneered. "Tell me, Uzumaki, does _that_ make us alike?"

"My mother's dead, too," Naruto said quietly. "So there's one."

"I grew up as something to be feared. As something that others look down upon. As a monster." His voice was flat, monotonous, gravely and mocking. Naruto didn't miss the edge underneath the words though – Gaara was telling the ugly truth.

"Your own personal hell, complete with demons. There's two."

Gaara didn't say anything for a minute. Then, "Tell me, why did you interfere? You knew that you would get hurt."

"God, Gaara, we've been over this! Guys just don't hit girls!" Naruto said. "Jeez!"

Gaara turned his head and glared at him. Naruto had to try hard not to recoil – it was a look like a snake eyeing down a mouse. Except he was Naruto Uzumaki, not a mouse – he didn't back down. "Shut up, idiot. _Besides _that. Don't tell me that the only reason you had for fighting me was because she's a _girl._"

Naruto felt put on the spot. "She's my friend. I…I don't want to see her get hurt."

"Friend…just another word." Gaara practically spat. "Some purpose you have."

"A friend is someone precious. So why would I let her get hurt? And if protecting those who are precious to me is my only purpose…then so be it." Naruto shifted. "You're going on about having a purpose and having a reason to exist. Well what's _your_ reason?" Now it was _his_ turn to give Gaara a hard stare. Gaara looked right back and a heavy silence settled over them.

"You have someone in your life who you honor and revere so much that every hurt on them is inflicted on you as well," Gaara said finally. "Am I right?"

"Sure, but stop trying to change the subj –"

"Shut up," Gaara growled. "So you do. That defines you existence. Others. Well, Uzumaki, you're a fool. You should love only yourself, fight only for yourself, because you cannot win against your loneliness." He made a face. "Believe me, I've tried."

"So is _that _your philosophy? Well, look where it got you. Beat up by me and locked in a closet. Alone." Naruto shook his head. "No wonder."

Gaara stiffened. "No wonder what?"

"No wonder _everything._" Naruto said. "You like fear, don't you? The way that people cower when they see you coming? I've seen it in school. And I hate to tell you, but your philosophy is _wrong._"

"Nothing's. Wrong. With. Me." Gaara growled.

Naruto snorted. "Not _you._ The reason you live. I've been through the same stuff you have, and see how different our personalities are? Look. Let's make a bet. You said that we were different as can be. Fine. If I can find one more thing that makes the two of us alike, then you'll…you'll try to find a reason to exist. A _real _reason."

"And if you can't?" Gaara said, narrowing his eyes. Naruto swallowed. They were a little disconcerting, all rimmed with black with no eyebrows – Naruto was just noticing now.

"Then you can beat me up again." Naruto inwardly winced as he said that. _Why did I say that? That means that…ugh, Naruto, think next time before you open your mouth._

Gaara was silent. Naruto took this a cue to go on. Luckily, he had thought about this one.

"Deep down…although you'll never admit it to yourself…you want to be liked and acknowledged. You want to be free of what everyone from your past thought of you. You want…friends."

Neither of them said anything. Then silence was heavy, and for a minute, Naruto thought that he had been wrong. _Oh shit, you've done it –_

"So," Gaara said. "How do I…what do I need to...how do I find a reason?"

Xxxxxxxxxx


	7. Chapter 7

Skye sat down at her lunch table the next day and not two minutes later was joined by Sakura.

_Ouch. _

Sakura's eye was almost swollen shut, all blue-purple and yellow around the edges. _And that was with the ice._

"Feeling better?" Skye asked. Sakura shrugged. "It's just a bruise."

"I can't believe that he did that to you," Naruto said, coming up from behind them. He set his tray down and took a seat. "You okay? What happened after you left?"

"I think that's the question _we _should be asking _you._" Skye felt compelled to point out. "Kakashi practically dragged the two of you inside and he looked mad as hell. What happened?"

Sakura nodded her agreement. "Yea…"

Naruto grinned and rubbed his neck embarrassedly. "Well….Kakashi interrupted right before I could, you know, really finish him off –"

"Yea, right," Skye and Sakura muttered in eerie unison.

Naruto continued as if they hadn't spoken. "And he dragged us into the main room, ya know, where we usually have therapy? Then – and don't ask me how it happened, 'cause I'm not sure myself – he duct taped our hands behind our backs and locked us in a closet for a good hour."

"…that's kinda kinky." Skye said with a grin. Naruto laughed and Sakura giggled and blushed. "I mean seriously; he bound the two of you and put you in a closet –"

"What happened in there?" Sakura put in, giving Skye a look that many people did when she used her gutter mind.

Naruto shrugged. "I straightened him out."

Skye's eyebrows shot up. _Really now? _"Didn't we just declare him psychosocial? Or something like that?"

"Nah," Naruto said. "He's just a little lost, that's all."

_Lost is putting it mildly._ "Anyway," Naruto said, "How about with you guys?"

Skye shrugged. "Got some food, got Sakura some ice. Went home. That's about it."

"Food? Where?" He asked.

"This cute little diner," Sakura answered. "Hey Skye, guess his favorite food." She smiled.

Skye thought for a minute. "Ramen."

Naruto's eyes widened. "How'd you know?!"

Skye smirked. "Well you _did_ go on about how much you loved the stuff."

"That's cheating!" Naruto accused.

The two girls rolled their eyes. "Hey, anything's fair game," Skye said.

Naruto huffed. "Anyway. This Saturday the same band is playing at Ringleader's. Sai's coming and Gaara might. You two in?"

Skye paused. _Gaara…going? Dammit, Skye, _stop_ this scared thing._ _He's just another fucked-up kid._ But she couldn't help it. He reminded her too much of her father. But that band…had been freakin' _awesome_. And Naruto did say 'might…'

"Sure, why not. They were amazing." She said, glancing at Sakura.

The other girl nodded. "Alright. I'm in."

"Great!" Naruto said. "I'm not sure what time they're coming on, so just be there at like five, okay?"

Sakura nodded. "I'll be there."

Skye nodded and gathered her things as the bell rung. "Works for me."

Naruto's grin grew. "Alright. I'll see you guys then!"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

What Uzumaki had said to him really took an effect on Gaara. He said in school during lunch the next day, thinking about what Naruto had said to him the night before.

_Find a real purpose. What does that mean?_

Speak of the devil. Naruto was nearly running down the hall, towards him. "Hey! Gaara!" the other boy stopped, panting. "Hey listen, I have to get to class, but there's this really awesome band playing at this café called Ringleader's on Saturday. You in?"

Gaara blinked. _What? Music at a café? Why would I want to do that?_

He said as much. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Because, Gaara," he said, as if speaking to a small child, "It's _fun._ And, you know, maybe having fun could be your purpose. You'll never know unless you try. I'm asking the others from therapy, too. Think about it, okay? I'll be waiting by the second floor boys' bathroom after eighth. Give me your answer then."

And then he was off in a blur of orange, yellow, and black.

Gaara rubbed his temples. He felt a headache coming on.

_Dammit. I left the painkillers at home._

Well, he was damned if he had to ask the nurse. Chronic headaches sucked, but he was used to them. He had them since he was a kid, something to do with anxiety combined with his insomnia.

He slammed his locker shut and headed to the cafeteria. He didn't like eating in here, it was too much noise, but for some reason the principal forbade him from eating anywhere else, and the last time he had been caught on the roof eating Temari had bitched about it for a solid month.

He sat down at his table and began eating his sandwich, noting the teenagers around him. They interacted oddly, some laughing, some talking, and a very few eating by themselves or doing their homework. All the tables around him were empty.

_Do they do that because they fear me? Like Uzumaki said? _

Well, smart kids then. He wasn't one to mess with. You'd have to either have a god-complex, a death wish, or a stupidity issue to take on Gaara no Sabaku.

_But Uzumaki did…and he beat me._

Maybe the blond did have a point. Maybe.

_Well, we'll see. I'm still not sure about this café thing though. What the hell will I get out of it? And it's not like anyone wants me there. Hell, that pink girl would have to be insane to want to cross me again…_

But then again, Naruto had gone on a rant about how 'guys don't hit girls.'

_Well how was I supposed to know that? Who came up with that? Temari and Kankuro hit each other all the time._

Ugh. Now his head was _really_ starting to hurt. He shoved the rest of his food away and set his head down on the table. He knew he wouldn't sleep, but it would at least keep his headache from getting worse.

He stayed that way for the rest of lunch.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

For the last ten minutes of eighth period, Naruto glanced at the clock every couple of seconds. Math was boring anyway, and the only class he was doing insanely well in. _Jeez, this class is going way too slow._

"Naruto! What's the answer to problem on the board?"

Naruto glanced at the board. "You can't do it."

The teacher blinked and looked stunned for half a second, like all teachers do when they think you're not paying attention and try to catch you off guard – but in reality, you knew exactly what was going on.

"Right," she said. "Now, moving on –"

But the bell had rung and Naruto was out of there in three seconds flat.

He made his way down to the second floor boys' room, but surprisingly, Gaara was already there.

Naruto strode up to the other boy. "Well? You in or what?"

Gaara looked at him; in the daylight, his eyes weren't as disconcerting, but still kinda odd to look at. Naruto didn't know if he was looking in a mirror or at some random Goth guy or something. He wondered if Gaara did his eyes up with kohl or if it was lack of sleep or a tattoo.

_But I don't think he'll appreciate me asking now._

"What time…do I need to be there?"

Naruto thought that his grin would split his face open.

"It's at this café called Ringleader's. Be there at five."

Gaara nodded and with that walked away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye remembered when her Friday nights were spent with someone, maybe at the mall just for the sake of being there or in someone's basement playing pool. That had been over a year ago.

Now she alternated between listening to her brother's band practice and painting.

Not that she _minded_ painting on Friday nights; but those days, before everything got all bad…they had been fun.

_Yea, before they all left you hanging when you actually _needed _them._

She frowned at a spot on her canvas and leaned over to turn her music up louder. _Unholy Indigo, I feel like I can count on a couple of kids from _therapy _that I've known for a week than my 'best friend' of how long? Six years?_

She added more red to the mixture on her palette paper. She hadn't felt like sketching anything out on paper today, and decided to devote a canvas entirely to fire.

And it was turning out freakin' awesome, if she did say so herself.

Through her window she saw a black-haired boy wait on the curb. As if on cue, he glanced at something in his hand, a cell phone probably, and then up at her window.

Skye felt a pang go through her, like it always did when she thought of Rynn. He had been her best friend, before. He had…he had _tried_, she supposed, to see what was wrong. But…

She felt another pang go through her, just as it always did when she thought of what had happened.

Deep down, she knew that she had driven him away, that if she had told him, he would've sat down and made things seem manageable again. She probably could've gone to him and told him what had happened, and probably would've, too.

Except that the day after that he had done two unforgiveable things.

Skye shook her head. _Stop thinking about that. Tomorrow you are going to Ringleader's with Naruto and Sakura, and you're going to have a hell of a time, just like you did on Wednesday. _

Skye sighed and let the brush work its way along the canvas, painting the fire and the flames.

She didn't go down when Fey called her for dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura walked into Ringleader's at five on Saturday, searching for the hyperactive blond. Naruto was sitting at a booth, like the one like last time but larger, sipping at some sort of drink.

He caught sight of Sakura just as she saw him. "Hey, Sakura!" he called, waving her over.

Sakura felt the same surge of both amusement and annoyance she always felt when he was around. She didn't know why; Naruto was obviously a nice guy, but something about him just got under her skin.

But she smiled and walked over. "You really have to be the loudest, don'tcha?" she said as she slid into the booth.

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "My bad. Anyway. Your face looks better."

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes; she knew that he didn't mean to be as blunt as he was. "Yea," she said, touching her face. "It feels better, too."

"That's good. Hey, Gaara's coming, but I promise, I won't let him hurt you."

Sakura looked up. _I promise…_ "T-thanks, I guess."

Naruto grinned. "No problem, Sakura. He won't though. I made a bet with him."

Sakura had to laugh. "About _what?"_

Naruto shrugged. "I…uh, can't tell you. It's kind of personal. But he won't go all psycho again. I promise."

"I'll keep that in mind…hey, Naruto?" There had been something playing on her consciousness for a while, something she had to ask him. It had been nagging at her and eating at her mind…and gut.

"Yea?" Naruto turned to her, in such a way that Sakura knew that she had his full, undivided attention. It was a little disconcerting.

"When Gaara…when he hit me…why did you hurt him?" She looked at him.

"I don't like it when guys hit girls," he said. But there was a certain weight in his eyes when he said, "And, well, Sakura," he said, quietly, seriously, "I don't want to see you get hurt."

His eyes were so penetrating, so _open_ that Sakura had to look away. "Oh," she half-whispered.

Before either of them could say anything, Skye sauntered over and sat next to Sakura. "Hey. So when are these guys gonna come on?"

Naruto shrugged. "Hopefully sometime tonight. Give or take a while."

"Wonderful. Anyone want coffee while I'm ordering?" Skye asked, standing.

Naruto made a face. "Ugh, no."

"Whatever you got last time," Sakura said. "Just let me get some cash –"

Skye waved her away. "Mint vanilla coffee thing? And nah, it's on me." She must've seen Sakura about to protest, because she said, "If it makes you feel better, you can cover it next time." She grinned and walked away before Sakura could protest.

Naruto made another face. "Seriously, how do you two drink that stuff?"

"Some of us require an outside input of energy." Sakura said. "And that peppermint-vanilla-coffee thing doesn't even taste like coffee!"

Naruto snorted. "Whatever – hey, I think that's Gaara. Gaara!" he called.

_God, this kid's attention span is like a squirrel with ADHD._

The boy turned his head and headed over.

Sakura felt her heart begin to race. _Oh shit, not another attack! Please, whatever gods that may be, do not let me have another attack! Not tonight, please oh please oh please oh –_

"Sakura? Sak? You feeling okay?" Naruto was poking her forehead. Sakura shook his hand away. "I- I'm fine."

Gaara was standing awkwardly by the booth. "C'mon," Naruto scooted in. "Sit down, will ya? Skye's gonna be back with coffee any second now."

Gaara sat. He gave Sakura a long, uncomfortable look. Sakura felt herself go pale. She swallowed, and looked down.

Naruto nudged Gaara with his shoulder and cast a pointed look at Sakura. _What? _She was utterly perplexed.

Gaara cleared his throat. "I'm…sorry….that I…hit you." His voice was raspy and deep.

It reminded Sakura of a snake.

But his words caught Sakura off guard. _Sorry? What the -?_ "Oh…uh…"

But she was saved from having to answer by Skye. "Here," she said, handing Sakura her coffee. Sakura accepted it gratefully and took a sip.

Naruto looked pleased. "Now we just gotta wait for Sai and –"

As if on cue, Sai showed up. "Hello," he said, sitting next to Gaara.

Murmurs of greeting arose from all the teenagers, except Gaara, who remained silent.

The last thing Sakura wanted was an awkward silence. "Hey, Sai," she said, "Do you like coffee?"

Sai shrugged. "I've never had it. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, why, Sai," Naruto said, "The stuff's horrible."

Sakura kicked him under the table. "Ow! Damn, there's no need to get violent, Sakura!" Naruto whined. Sakura felt guilty for a second, then saw Naruto grin and Skye hold her hand out for one of those knuckle-touch things.

Sakura laughed and bumped her fist against Skye's. "Yes. Yes I did."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Gaara first stepped into Ringleader's, he was a little overwhelmed.

The chairs were a deep black; the floors were white with black and red geometric patterns; the walls were all different shades of gray and covered with artwork of all kinds.

But now he was sitting next to Sai and Naruto, in the middle of a coffee argument.

"Here," Skye said. "Taste it." She thrust her cup at Sai. He tentatively took a sip, then looked back at Skye. "It was good," he said. "Kind of bitter. But good."

"See?" Sakura said. She turned to Gaara. "Do –Do you like coffee?"

Gaara looked at her. "My brother drinks it," he said slowly. _Does it matter if I like coffee? This _is _a coffee house but…_

"It's good," Sai said. He reached across the table and took Skye's cup and handed it to Gaara. "Try it."

Gaara glanced at the cup, then at Skye. She was looking away, tapping the table. He looked back down at the coffee. It did smell good…

And holy hell, did it taste good too.

Something must've showed on his face, because Naruto took the cup. "If it's _that _good…"

He took a sip and gagged.

Skye sighed. "At this rate, we're all gonna get mono by the end of the week. Keep it; I'm getting a new one. You want one, Sai?"

The boy nodded. "Here, I'll come with you."

The two got up and left.

Naruto made a face. "You can have it," he said to Gaara.

Gaara took it. This…this wondrous thing…was delicious. "What's in this?"

"Vanilla-peppermint-coffee. That's what Skye calls it." Naruto said. "But I fail to see the appeal."

Sakura shook her head. "I just wanna know where she puts it all. Seriously, if I drank as much coffee as she did, I'd be crawling on the ceiling."

Gaara didn't know where the conversation was going. He didn't understand what Uzumaki meant, how this could help him find his purpose. Coffee, maybe? Gaara discounted the thought. He had a feeling his reason had to have more substance than that.

Skye and Sai soon returned, coffee-peppermint-vanilla thing in hand. Gaara wasn't sure why, but he said, "This is…really good."

Skye nodded and tapped her fingers quickly, to the beat of some tune only she could hear. "See, Naruto? He's sane. Coffee is a _good _thing."

"A beautiful thing," Sai said.

"Art," Sakura added.

"Hey," Naruto said, turning, "The band's coming on soon. I think we have to sit, this time, though. There's a ton of tables where we stood last time."

"Probably because they're good. And they do Shattered cover songs. I mean you can't go wrong," Skye said, sipping her coffee.

_What's the big deal about Shattered? Ugh, these people are so confusing. _

"What's the…big deal about Shattered?" He asked Skye quietly.

She began tapping her fingers. "Uh, well, they're _amazing, _I guess," she said. "You have to listen to their songs to really understand it. I mean, _really listen._ Wait – _you haven't listened to Shattered?"_

Gaara blinked. This girl was so confusing. And she looked all jittery. _Probably all the coffee._ But now the entire table was gaping at him.

"No. Not really."

Skye shook her head and muttered something. Sakura blinked at him, while Naruto exclaimed, "Blasphemy!"

Now he was getting annoyed. "What?"

But Skye interrupted whatever Naruto was about to say. "Shut up, we'll discuss his musical deficiency later. The band's playing."

Gaara shifted. He saw a young man with long platinum blond hair step up to the mike.

"So, due to popular demand," he said, "We are back! And, in honor of one of the greatest bands of all time, we're gonna open up with a cover, once again, one you should all know! Now MAKE SOME NOISE!"

Gaara blinked. _Aren't coffeehouse bands supposed to be mellow with bad poetry? This is like those live shows Kankuro watches…_he internally sighed and decided to, on a whim, take Skye's advice and actually listen to the song.

**They're gonna clean up your looks  
With all the lies in the books  
To make a citizen out of you  
Because they sleep with a gun  
And keep an eye on you, son  
So they can watch all the things you do**

All together now!

Teenagers scare the living shit out of me  
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed  
So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose  
Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me

There was a big finish; Gaara felt the song, how it hit him; he felt the energy in the room, felt the energy rolling off the people around him.

Something inside him was off. Something big. He felt his hands shake, and his head felt like it had been struck with cinder blocks.

He had to get out of there.

He slammed his hands down on the table, making everyone jump. "What the –" someone said.

He hardly heard whoever it was. He brushed past Sai, past an entire group of people. He was dimly aware of someone calling his name, but he didn't react.

He got himself out of there and _ran._


	9. Chapter 9

The song ended, and Gaara flew outta there like a bat out of hell.

The others looked dumbstruck. Skye, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Her finger tapping ceased, and she felt the nervous energy that had made her ramble on about music and coffee leave.

The rest of the café was cheering and anticipating the next song. Their table was the only silent one.

"Ermm, what just happened?" Sakura asked, wringing her hands together.

"Overwhelmed by sheer awesomeness?" Skye found herself saying. Her comment wasn't appreciated.

Naruto shook his head. "I'll be right back. Someone has to go make sure that he doesn't do something stupid." He stood up.

Suddenly, Sakura stood up too. "You can't just go after him like that!"

Everyone looked at her. She backtracked, "I mean, he probably doesn't want to be found."

Naruto grinned. "Glad that you worry, but I'll be fine."

"I'm not worried!" Sakura huffed, cheeks pink.

Skye rolled her eyes. She was about to say something, but her phone ringing stopped her.

Her breath caught in her throat. _Dammit, he has to call me now?_

She answered. "What?"

"Explain to me," Rynn said, voice shaky, "Why that fucking kid you've been hanging around just up and started a fight with Kev?"

"Cause Kev's an asshole?" Skye said. "Now do something useful and tell me where the hell you are."

There was a growling sound. Skye couldn't tell if it was Rynn or the supposedly fighting boys. "And why should I?"

"Well you called to complain, didn't you, douchebag? Do you want me to fix it or not?" She snapped.

There was silence except for a series of grunts and smacks. Then, finally, "Seventh and Spring Garden."

"See? That wasn't too hard," Skye said, then she hung up.

The others were looking at her. "What just happened?" Naruto asked, tilting his head slightly to the right.

"I found out where Gaara is," Skye said. "And it's not good."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Feet smacking on the pavement, faster and faster by his lungs are burning already and his legs moght fall off. Push harder and harder, until you break and then –_

_But they're behind him, he can feel it. The hot breath on his neck, their demonic howls, the cackle of his father and the hoots of the other men –_

This was too much like last time. Gaara was panicked, and he didn't know why. His heart was racing and his mind was twisting, running through hallways of secrets.

Suddenly, he stopped. Not of his own volition, but because he ran into someone. A boy, maybe around his age.

"Hey, easy, man," he said as his friend caught him.

Gaara didn't say anything, only surveyed the group. There were three of them; one was a little shorter than him, with black hair; another was taller and bulkier, with electric blue cropped hair and wearing a duster, and the other was platinum-blond with too many piercings to count.

He tried to side step them but the one with blue hair stepped in his way. "Somethin' wrong with you? My friend just said somethin'."

There it was. Those words. They reverberated in his head, bounced around his skull. "_NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME!" _he screamed, then decked the guy.

He saw red, and the only thing he knew was _fight._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto ran alongside Skye, Sakura and Sai just behind them. "They're a block away," Skye said. "Turn here."

They turned, and sure enough, there they were on one of those tiny side 'one-way' streets. _Dammit. Kev and Gaara are going at it, and why do Rynn and Kyon gotta be here?_

She ignored Rynn and Kyon, and instead halted a foot away from Gaara and Kev. They were snarling like hounds, swinging punches and going at each other's throat. Skye pushed down her rising anxiety and whistled, two sharp, high sounds, and prayed that Kev still responded to that.

"Gaara!" Naruto called.

Between the whistle and Naruto, both boys were stopped. Almost immediately, Naruto rushed in and pulled Gaara a good two yards back; Sai went with him, and Skye stepped forward to Kev, an acidic smirk on her face. "Still respond to that, eh dog-boy?"

The blue-haired boy wiped blood from his jaw. "Shut up, bitch," he growled. "Before I fuck your face up."

Skye snorted. "You can get right on that when you grow the balls." She glanced at Gaara and Naruto, then looked away just as quickly. Gaara…looked like he was ready to murder. _Some straightening out you did, eh, Naruto?_

Sai had been smart. He was keeping an eye on Rynn and Kyon, between Sakura and them. _Good. One less thing to worry about._

"He okay?" She asked Naruto. The other boy nodded darkly. "What the fuck?" Naruto snarled at the Kev.

Kev spat. "Ask _him. _Fucking shithead comes up and goes all psycho!"

"Eloquent as always, Kev," Skye muttered. She turned to the other two boys and ignored the little pang that went through her. "What happened?"

Rynn gave her a hard stare. She glared back. Kyon cleared his throat and fiddled with his lip ring. "He was running and bumped into me. Got all quiet, then Kev started something and –"

"I started nothing!" Kev yelled.

"Oh yea?" Naruto said, stepping forward. "Why do I have a hard time believing that?"

The world became all tense, the air thick and heavy. Skye didn't want to breathe too hard for fear she'd cause the boys to rip each other's throat out.

_Why do things become infinitely more serious whenever Naruto gets serious?_ Skye wondered to herself.

Kev took up a stance. "You wanna go, faggot?" he advanced towards Sakura and Skye. "Or should I beat on one of them?"

"Take me any time you think you're man enough, you filthy piece of shit!" Naruto snarled as he ran and cold-cocked Kev.

Skye wanted to cheer. She stepped in front of Sakura. "He's all talk…most of the time," she whispered. "So just stay behind me."

"Careful, Naruto," Sai warned. "He might have a knife."

_Shit. He's right._ Skye wouldn't be surprised in the least if Kev did, indeed, carry a knife with him now.

Kev rolled his shoulders and chuckled darkly. "Oh, if only," he said with relish.

"Look," Rynn was saying. "You're friend went all psycho. We're willing to leave, preferably _without _killing someone. C'mon, Kev. You don't need to carry their shit."

His last words were a barb aimed at Skye, this she knew.

"You're right," Skye said thoughtfully. "Rynn will dump enough of his shit on you without us adding to it."

Rynn pivoted on his heel. "You know what? I thought you were above –"

"Above _what?_" Skye asked. "Please, do tell." She clasped her hands behind her back and waited, tilted her head for good measure.

Rynn crossed his arms. "I thought you were above sending other people to do your dirty work for you."

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but I'm under the impression that I can hand your ass to you. Jeez, shit-for-brains. I'd have him beat up _you, _if anyone. Holy Indigo, the stupidity of some _people._"

"Really? I'm a person now?" Rynn said sarcastically.

"Nope," Skye said, malice dripping from every word. "You're still a piece of shit I wasted over a decade of my life on." She didn't know if she meant the words, but they sounded – and felt - right.

"Shut the fuck _up!_" Gaara screamed. "Before I fucking kill you!"

Skye surprised everyone by not saying anything – she didn't know if Gaara was talking to her or Rynn, but she didn't want to find out.

Kev began laughing, and Skye felt Sakura nudge her. "Skye," she hissed. "Let's get out of here."

Before Skye could respond, Gaara stepped around Naruto and attacked Kev. "I – said – shut –up!"

He punctuated each word with a punch. Kev was down and – from where Skye was standing – out for the count.

"Hey!" Rynn said. "Control him!"

_Hell if I could, kid,_ Skye thought. Instead she said, "Why should I?" Kev's an ass. A bigger one than you, for that matter."

"Skye!" Sakura hissed. Skye turned around. "What?"

Sakura was hyperventilating. "Please," she half-whispered.

_Oh shit, she's having an attack._ "Naruto!" Skye called, jerking her thumb back towards Sakura. "I think we might wanna –"

"Right!" he nodded. Gaara had stopped punching Kev and was simply kneeling on his chest, hissing profanities and death threats.

Naruto knelt beside Gaara and shook his shoulder, said something too quiet for Skye to hear, but Gaara let the other boy up and Kev staggered over to Kyon.

Rynn stepped forward. "And why should we let you leave?"

Kyon nudged him. "Stop being an ass, will ya?"

Kev remained silent.

Skye nodded to him. "See? Blondie has a point. Not to mention you're outnumbered. Big time."

Rynn curled his lip. "Fine. Nice to know you've found your _friends, _Skye. Hope it all works out."

"Fuck you too!" Skye called. She regretted her words a second later when Rynn lunged at her.

Skye blocked his fist easily enough, but the impact still hurt. They weren't kids anymore, and this wasn't playfighting.

They stayed like that for ten solid seconds, in a deadly staring contest. Skye was dimly aware of Naruto all on edge, ready to pounce in at the slightest provocation, Sakura trembling, Sai observing silently and Gaara breathing heavily. In the distance, Skye could hear the wail of sirens.

"That's the police," Sai broke the silence.

Rynn grinned, uncharacteristically sadistic. "Wonderful, isn't it? Just like old times –"

Skye got in a knee to the nuts. He released her, and she grabbed Sakura's and someone else's arm and _booked it. _

The sirens were getting louder now. _Wonderful. Just frickin' great._ She thought. Skye had no idea where she was going, or if anyone was following her. She glanced at Sakura to her right. She seemed okay…ish. "Just hang in there," Skye muttered. She glanced to her right, and discovered that she was tugging Gaara along with her.

Abruptly, Skye stopped, and let go of their arms. Sai and Naruto nearly rammed into her. They were all panting.

Skye glanced around. All the streetlights were dark, as were most of the windows on the street. They were closer to the development area of the town now, and she doubted that the police had followed them.

She looked up at the faces around her, "I think we're – good." She grinned.

Suddenly, Naruto began laughing. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach. His laughter was contagious, and soon Skye and Sakura were laughing. Hell, even _Sai _was chuckling.

Skye felt tears stream down her cheeks from laughing so hard. And…she glanced up, still chuckling, and saw _Gaara _of all people slumped against a building, holding his stomach, and _laughing._

She didn't know why, but she found this insanely funny. And, by the time the entire group's laughs had died out, they were all grinning at each other like idiots. Even Gaara's usual stony expression had sort of softened into a smirk.

Skye wiped a tear away from her cheek. "Let's do that again someday, huh?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	10. Chapter 10

Skye sat up in her bed and stretched. A smirk of sorts came over her face when she remembered last night.

_Didn't get to hear the band, but whatever. _

It had felt _so good_ to say all that stuff to Rynn. And not the momentarily-good-at-first-then-the-guilt-sets-in feeling. This was a good-all-around feeling. One that she hadn't felt in a while.

Hell, this was the most she'd felt _at all _in a while. (She didn't count her fear of Gaara, mostly because she didn't want to think about it.)

The dog next to her – an old black husky that responded to the name Ren – raised his head and blinked beautiful pale blue eyes. He sneezed, then lay his head in her lap.

Skye stroked his fur. Her arm still hurt where she had blocked Rynn's fist, and a purple bruise had formed. She sighed. Fey had been good about picking her up and not asking questions, but she didn't know what he told Terra.

Ren must've sensed something, because he lifted his head and licked her cheek. Skye hugged the old dog to her. Ren had come into the household over ten years ago, when things had still been semi-normal. Her mother had claimed that he was a 'family dog,' but two months into his stay, it had become obvious. Ren was _Skye's_ dog.

Skye glanced at her clock and internally groaned. She _hated _when her internal alarm decided to wake her up at six AM on the weekends.

She lay back down and laced her hands behind her head. Ren shifted and lay his head on her pillow. She had long ago given up trying to get him to not sleep on her bed; it was easier to just change her sheets uber often and take her showers in the morning instead of the night.

She turned her head and stared at the dog Like her, he had a scar running down the left side of his face.

Unlike her, it had made him go blind in that eye. Every time she saw him like that and was reminded of _him, _that piece of shit that nearly killed her dog.

_Don't think about it. You handed it to Rynn last night, and kneed him in the crotch to boot. Not to mention you got away…_

She had no idea why she had laughed that hard. She only knew that _something _had to get out of her _somehow._ And well…

Maybe laughing was the best way for the something to escape.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (to avoid confusion: Skye's POV was Sunday morning; the next POV is Monday)**

Mondays. Ugh. Sakura _hated _those. They were so…just…blech.

"Sakura, it's six fifteen! Your bus comes in twenty minutes!" Her mother walked into her room and lifted up the shades. It was pointless, however; it was the middle of November and the sun had hardly even risen yet.

Sakura still groaned and huddled on her side for a moment before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and sitting up. She traded her pajamas for clothes, ran a brush through her hair, and grabbed a bottle of orange juice and a granola bar.

She was becoming an expert at this whole 'You-must-now-take-the-bus' decree.

She still hated it, though.

Sakura stepped onto the bus and took the first empty seat. She rummaged through her bag and found her iPod, jammed the ear buds into her ears and became deaf to the world for a solid thirty minutes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At lunch, Sakura found Skye's table; Naruto was there, but the short blonde was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto greeted with his usual cheery grin.

With no conscious effort on her part, Sakura's mouth twisted into a smile. "Hi," she said, sitting down. She glanced around her. "Where's Skye?"

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno, probably killing zombies or something," he flashed his grin again. "Or, ya know, in the art room."

Sakura arched her eyebrows. "You know it's really creepy how you know where everyone is and stuff."

Naruto grinned…again, and leaned his chair back on its back legs. "You're right, it is. But I'm just a guru like tha –"

He was cut off by crashing down onto the floor. Nearly the entire cafeteria swiveled to look at them, before bursting out into laughter.

Even Sakura giggled. She stood, laughing. "You alright?"

Naruto fixed himself, grinned sheepishly. "He-he, yea, Sakura, I'm fine!"

Then someone said something; Sakura's face immediately reddened and she looked down. Naruto heard, but he wouldn't understand the implications, wouldn't understand exactly what it meant.

"Er, Sakura? You alright?" Naruto asked, tilting his head. "…Sakura?"

"Just go away," she whispered. Then, louder, "Leave me alone!"

And before Naruto had the chance to do anything, Sakura stood up and fled the lunchroom.

She didn't see the grin fall.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Sakura never appreciated the safety of the girls' bathroom as much as she did now. She felt the anxiety attack coming, as soon as one of _his _groupies said that.

"_Wow, Sakura, you sure do know how to pick 'em."_

Sakura knew that it wasn't much, not something to deem such a reaction from her, not _really._ But…she didn't know. Something…something made her react the way she did, whether it was the guy who shouted or Naruto's stupid grin.

_Ugh….Damn it all…._

Life was just too confusing sometimes.

She sat on the toilet, locked the stall, and placed her head in her hands. _Looks like that pamphlet was right, running off the nervous energy helps…_

Medical babble. Her source of comfort over the past year.

Well, it _was _comforting to know that there were reasons for _why _people acted the way they did. Hormones to explain relationships. Possession to explain pettiness. Survival of the fittest to explain why some always come out on top and why others can never seem to win.

It wasn't fair, no, but her mother had told her so many times: _life wasn't fair. _

Sakura swallowed and tried to calm her shaking hands. She stayed there for the rest of lunch.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto blinked and felt a pang of disappointment go through him. _What the hell did you do this time, Uzumaki? _

He sighed, and for the first time since he came to this school, his grin fell.

He had really thought that he and Sakura were…friends.

_Why can't I _ever _do anything _right?He thought to himself angrily. Then he heard that guy – black hair, pale skin, looked like one of the guys in the scene crowd but hung out with the football players.

"Hey, blondie!" the dark-haired boy called. "Give up on her, man. She's such a tease."

Naruto stood. His fists clenched, his jaw tightened. _Bastard. _He's _the reason Sakura ran. _

Or, he'd let himself think that for now.

"Bastard!" he shouted. "She's probably better than any whore _you've _ever dated!"

He was getting angry now, the back of his mind said dimly, if he was cussing like that. He didn't care though. This guy…

The guy also stood, and strode over. Naruto took two steps forward, until he was facing the other guy. The entire lunchroom was silent now, waiting for something to go down. The strange blond sophomore (who was rumored to have killed his little brother) and the only sophomore on varsity football.

_What's this guy's name? It's….oh. Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha. _

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "Watch what you say, looser. She's no better."

"Oh, really?" Naruto grit.

Sasuke nodded, as if they were having a conversation about the weather. "Yup. Like I said, a tease. And suicidal to boot. She comes with too many strings attached, if you know what I mea –"

But he didn't have the chance to finish. Naruto's fist snapped out and caught him in the jaw.

To everyone's surprise, the Uchiha actually stumbled back. He straightened himself and snarled. "You want to take that back, Uzumaki." It wasn't a question, but an order.

To the further surprise of the students in sixth lunch, Naruto laughed. "No, bastard, I don't think I do." It was stupid, he knew, to get into a fight, particularly with the Uchiha. But hell, he had been _asking _for that. And if he could take Gaara, he could take Sasuke.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Mistake, moron."

Naruto grinned. He had a grin for every situation: grinning like an idiot for when he was happy, Cheshire cat grin when he was ecstatic. A sheepish grin for embarrassing situations, a sarcastic grin (more like a smirk) when the situation required it and a default grin for everything else.

He also had what could be called a sadistic grin/smirk thing for times like these.

And that's what he had on his face when he said, "Bring it, bastard."

The tension reached a crescendo and Sasuke charged at him. Naruto dodged to the side, and was hit haphazardly in the arm instead of full-on in the diaphragm.

It still hurt, though.

He growled, and lunged at the other boy. Sasuke was up against a lunch table, and hit it hard when Naruto tackled him. Both boys fell, and Sasuke whacked his head against the table.

Hard.

And just at that moment, a lunch monitor came stomping in. One of the wiser upperclassmen had seen where this was going and had gotten Jiraiya, the anatomy teacher.

Who also happened to be rather tall and built.

He grabbed Naruto and the slightly-dazed Sasuke. "Gentlemen, with me. The rest of you –" he projected his voice – "Continue eating. There's only ten minutes left of lunch, after all."

And for the second time in a week, two dysfunctional boys were dragged off to be disciplined.

For the second time in a week, Naruto was dragged off to someone's office alongside an asshole he had _almost _beaten.


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto sulked in the car, staring out the window as the cityscape flew by. At least now Iruka had settled into a steamy silence, instead of chewing him out every chance he got.

"_It's not my fault that –"_

"Naruto._ I don't _care _whose fault it is! You got into a fight and nearly gave that boy a concussion! You're lucky that you weren't expelled!" The man was irate, to say the very least. At the principal's office, he had sat there with a stony expression on his face, interjecting and asking questions at all the right times. _

_But that had been the calm before the storm. _

"_But –" Naruto had tried to explain in the car, back at home, that he was only standing up for a friend who was too shy to do so herself. _

_But Iruka wouldn't have it._

"_Room. Now."_

_And that had been the end of that. _

Naruto sighed. Usually he could at least _say _something in an argument. But…Iruka had had this look in his eye. Naruto knew that look. It was one of sheer disappointment, one that had often been directed at him.

And he _hated _that look. It made him feel worse than trash, made him feel worse than the abuse from his uncle had. Anger, hatred he could take. But the feeling that he let down someone important to him was just unbearable.

Naruto sighed again.

They pulled up to the former church, and as Naruto made to get out of the car, Iruka grabbed his arm. Naruto turned back to the man and let his expression ask the question.

Iruka took a breath. "Look. You can tell me what happened about the fight yesterday on the way back, okay? I know what it's like to be an angst-ridden teenage boy…just promise that this won't become a regular thing, okay?"

Naruto was suddenly grateful to whatever deities that may be for Kakashi neglecting to tell Iruka of his fight with Gaara, let alone what happened with Kev.

But what could he say? "Okay. No regular fights. Promise." he said cheerily, and before Iruka could say any more, he left for the Catalyst.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Kakashi hung back from his class for a moment; he could tell that they were talking, and he was intrigued. It wasn't so much the fact that they were talking; it was that this appeared to be a _group conversation._

_Gaara's not here yet, _Kakashi reminded himself, _and neither is Sakura_. _So don't get your hopes up. _

Surprise, surprise. Naruto was the one talking.

Kakashi lurked behind a pine tree on the property and listened.

"You should've seen it!" He said. "That guy – you know, Sasuke? Well, I ran at him and got him to the floor – he hit his head – and then the teacher comes and interrupts it! I mean what the hell?" Naruto huffed indignantly.

Skye shook her head, a wry smirk on her face. "The things I miss when I'm in the art room."

"Where was Sakura during all of this?" Sai asked.

Kakashi wasn't sure if he saw it or if the light [or lack thereof] was playing tricks on him, but for a fraction of a second there, it looked like the light in Naruto died.

But it might've just been him.

"Ah, see, that's the thing. I did something stupid and…she ran out of there…heh-heh," he said, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head.

A crease formed between Sai's eyebrows and Skye held the bridge of her nose between her forefingers. "And, Naruto, what happened at lunch today?"

The boy shrugged…again, sheepishly. "Er, I dunno. I was in detention." He mumbled something that sounded like_ stupid bastard,_ but Kakashi wasn't sure.

Kakashi saw Gaara approach before anyone else did; he didn't think that the other boy saw him. Gaara walked with all the silence of a cat from his car to the wrought-iron fence where they stood.

Sai was the first to notice the other boy. "Hey, Gaara," he said. "Start anymore fights over the weekend?"

_Still an instigator._ But…again, Kakashi wasn't sure…but was there an affectionate…_teasing_ tone in the black-haired boy's voice?

Gaara gave him a withering look. "Shut up."

"It speaks!" Skye said with a touch of sarcasm. Kakashi watched her. Something was off, all of a sudden. Her fingers were tapping to a beat only she could hear, and her posture…it seemed different. Arms crossed, as usual, but…something in it screamed…something. Something Kakashi couldn't quite place. It wasn't _back off;_ no, that was her default body language. No, it was caught in between something.

_Fight or flight, _he realized._ She doesn't know which to do. _

Well, that was an interesting bit of knowledge. Kakashi tucked it in his head for later storage.

He tuned back into the conversation. Gaara was glaring at Skye, who was grinning cheekily back. _What? Her posture screams scared shitless but she's mouthing off at him...? _

Girls truly were complex creatures.

"Anyway," Naruto said, "You _were _kicking his ass, though. How'd that start?"

Gaara paused. "He ran into me."

"So you fight him? Gaara," Naruto said, "Fighting's good, don't get me wrong…but you should at least…you know, have a _reason _for fighting." The way he said it, Kakashi decided, had a serious undertone that probably had something to do with their time in the closet.

It took a lot to perplex Kakashi Hatake. He was the unfazed, detached, savvy type. He was cool, collected, and calm. He could outsmart the chessmasters and maneuver around a crowded shopping mall while reading adult-only books.

But this group was just something else.

Skye snorted. "Knowing Kev, it was probably in self-defense…to an extent." She cast a look at Gaara. "You'd be just the type to piss him off."

Gaara tensed, but Naruto shot a look at him and he relaxed, simply muttered, "Hn."

"Something happened between the two of you, didn't it?" Sai said. He was giving Skye – at least what Kakashi thought – what appeared to be a knowing look.

Skye's eyebrows shot up. "Who, me and Kev? Nah, he's just an asshole. I believe I've said it several times."

Sai shook his head. "No. The other guy – black hair. Rynn."

Skye bristled. "No, nothing _happened._" She said. "Oh, look, there's Sakura."

It wasn't a diversionary tactic; surprisingly enough, Sakura was actually there and had begun to walk over to the group, looking down, shrinking in on herself and tugging her jacket closer to her.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto greeted in his usual loud way. Sakura barely looked up when she muttered her, 'hi.'

And this time – Kakashi was positive – the energetic boy's grin _did _drop. "So, about yesterday –"

Sakura mumbled something too low and fast for Kakashi to hear.

Naruto apparently did, and so did the rest of them, judging by their reactions. Naruto's grin returned, though the others looked more…surprised? Fazed? No, those words didn't apply to Sai or Gaara. _Interested, _Kakashi decided.

"Well, see, you know that Uchiha bastard? I beat the crap outta him." He grinned triumphantly.

He was truly awed, however, by Naruto's ability to bounce back. From the almost-fight, the _actual _fight, and then getting locked in a closest. _Not to mention all the other abuse he must've been through. And the obvious rejection by Sakura just now. _He truly was something else.

Sakura's head snapped up. _"_You _what?"_

Naruto misunderstood her tone. "Yup! See, he started to badmouth you; that's why you left, isn't it? And then he pretty much _asked _for a fight –"

Kakashi inwardly winced when Sakura's hand snapped out and collided with his face.

Sai…was _smiling?_ Gaara arched a nonexistent eyebrow, and Skye had face palmed.

Naruto, on the other hand…

He had a look of the utmost shock written all over his face. Sakura was practically on the verge of tears…but Kakashi knew that these were tears of anger.

"Sakura…?" Naruto said quietly, questioningly.

"Don't you _dare,_" she said, voice steady despite the tears that threatened to fall, "_Ever_ go near him again. _Ever._"

Naruto swallowed and didn't say anything. "Sakura…you didn't hear the things he said…"

Kakashi swore that the pink-haired girl's lip _curled. _"And you don't know _anything._ So keep. Out. Of. It."

_Again…what?_

Naruto, for the first time since Kakashi had known him, looked at a loss for words. He did, however, take a step back.

Skye clapped him on the shoulder. "Just go with it, kid. It's easier that way."

Her comment, Kakashi noted, was largely unappreciated if the looks on Naruto's and Sakura's faces were anything to go by.

Naruto took a step back, and Kakashi had the feeling that he was about to run.

_Probably time to 'show up' now._

"Hey, what's up?" he said, stepping onto the sidewalk and approaching the group.

"You're _late._" Naruto stated, crossing his arms. His cheek was still obviously red from the slap he had taken, but the mask of a cheery teenager was back in place.

Kakashi inwardly sweat-dropped. _This guy pretty much got the snippity treatment of the century and now he's accusing me of being late._

Bouncing back indeed.

The silver-haired man sighed. "Sorry, I got lost on the path of life."

Kakashi tried to pretend that he wasn't on the receiving end of murderous glares from five unstable teenagers as he unlocked the door and said, "Let's start class, shall we?"


	12. Chapter 12

Kakashi waited until they were all settled down before he began talking. Sakura, he noted, was _not _next to Naruto, and as usual, Gaara was on the end.

"Okay, so it's been a while, hasn't it?" he began good-naturedly. "So how has everyone been?"

He was answered with shrugs, grunts, and other such noncommittal sounds.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Did everyone have a nice weekend?"

_Aha. _Now he got more of a reaction. Subtle, yes, but reactions nonetheless. A corner of Skye's mouth twisted up into a smirk; Naruto flashed a grin – not so subtle, but then again, it _was _Naruto – Sakura still was looking down but she smiled softly; Sai inclined his head a fraction, and Gaara closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

_Interesting. _

"Kakashi?" Sai asked.

"Yes?"

"How much of our conversation did you hear?"

Now all five teenagers were staring at him.

_Play it cool. _"What do you mean?"

Sai shrugged. "I saw you hiding behind the tree." He stated bluntly. "A half-assed hiding spot, actually."

_Play it cool, play it cool, play it coo –aw, screw it. _"From fighting to slapping." He glanced at Gaara and Sakura respectively. He leaned back in his chair. "_I _wasn't going to say anything, but if you want to play it that way…" he trailed off, fully aware of what he was doing. Now four unstable teenagers were glaring at Sai. Slightly better.

He leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees. "Start talking."

He was greeted by silence.

He glanced around. _Of course, go silent when it actually matters. _"Okay then. Sakura." He was playing dirty, singling out the weakest link, but hey, this was pretty much an 'anything goes' zone. He'd lock two boys who wanted to kill each other in a closet and he'd go in for the throat on the one who'd crack the easiest. No offense, Sakura.

"Yes?" It came out as barely even a whisper.

"You slapped Naruto." He paused. Sakura still didn't look up. "Why?"

She opened her mouth as if to say something, then clamped it shut again. The silence stretched out for a minute, two minutes, five. "Why did you hit Naruto?" Kakashi made sure to annunciate his words.

"Because!" the word had the choppy quality of having slipped out.

"…" Kakashi simply looked at her.

"Because he beat up someone!"

"Someone." Kakashi sighed, then turned to Naruto. They boy was staring at the faded picture on the wall, at the floor, at the empty chair. "Naruto, care to elaborate?"

Naruto glanced at him, then at Sakura. He laughed weakly. "Guess I was just being an idiot," he said with a stupid grin on his face.

Now, as mentioned before: Kakashi is not an easily vexed man. He is cool, easygoing, if not a bit detached, with a collected, direct way of thinking. The proverbial edge, if it does indeed _exist _in Kakashi's psyche, is miles away.

But this – for reasons unknown – sent him closer to the edge than he's ever been in a _long _time.

"Don't give me that," he said. His students must've noticed something…an _edge _to his voice, if you will; no pun intended. "Something happened. Obviously." He sighed, placed his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't know if you kids _get _this, but you're here for a _reason._ _Not very good _reasons." He glanced up, met each kid's eye in turn. "And don't get me wrong, I understand that the reason you're here is painful, but –"

"Understand?"

The scoff was so harsh and contemptuous that at first Kakashi thought it came from Skye, but it was Sakura who was glaring at him. "How can someone like _you _understand?" she said bitterly. "Do you know what it's like to _lose everything?_ To have absolutely _nothing left _when everyone's abandoned you?" She shook her head. "Yea, didn't think so."

"That's why I'm _here,_" Kakashi explained patiently. _Now _he was getting some reactions. "You're right; only _you _can even begin to relate to what each of you has been through. _But you have to get your stories out._" He glanced around. He hated this, getting worked up over his students, but some people needed a push, others needed to be pulled, and the rest simply needed to be picked up and thrown.

He just had the luck to have the third type landed with him.

A twisted smirk crossed Sakura's face. "My _story? _ You want my Goddamn _story? _Fine. I was fucking _raped _by the guy I was supposed to call my father. _And I couldn't remember any of it._ And when I did remember, ten years later, you know what happens? My boyfriend tries to do the same thing and my own freakin _mother _decides to hate me!"

The girl had tears falling down her face and was trembling. And Kakashi felt (just a little) like a jerk. Everyone – even Gaara – was staring at Sakura sympathetically, and Naruto, Kakashi noted, had a dark look about him.

Kakashi's heart felt heavy. It always did when a student cracked like this. And there was more to Sakura's story, he knew. Like the fact that she didn't remember it because her father had used a kind of negative reinforcement to block the memories…and when he had to leave on a business trip for nearly six months last year, the negative reinforcement stopped and Sakura's memories came back; however, this wasn't before Sakura had tried the negative reinforcement on _herself._

Some people truly sickened him.

Everyone was quiet. No one knew what to say after someone's story came out, especially the sexual abuse ones. Sakura was all-out sobbing now, face buried in her hands.

"So tell me, how you canunderstand?" she whispered.

Kakashi took a moment to find the words. "I can't," he said simply, gently. "But…" Kakashi fell silent when he realized that his words were falling on deaf ears. Somehow, Naruto had silently scooted his chair closer to Sakura's. He had reached out a hand and squeezed her shoulder. The girl froze for a moment, then looked up at him…right before sobbing all the harder.

But, Kakashi saw, and was truly amazed by what happened next: one by one, the other students followed Naruto's lead. Sai (admittedly rather awkwardly) patted her knee; Skye shoulder-bumped her and (for once) didn't say anything (that Kakashi could detect). And Gaara…

Gaara was still sitting in his chair, watching the scene with a look of curiosity, faint traces of disdain polluting his look. He saw Kakashi staring at him, then scowled and looked away.

The girl looked up and blinked through her tears. "S-sorry," she managed, wiping her eyes.

Kakashi nodded. "It's okay. Feel better now?"

Sakura shrugged. "I guess…Sorry," she said again, ducking her head.

Skye shoulder-bumped her again. "Hey, the males in your life deserve to be hit by a bus," she said. Kakashi inwardly face palmed: he should've known that her silence wouldn't last. Sakura smiled weakly, but tears continued to fall down her face.

Kakashi sighed. He hated to end class right after someone had a breakthrough, but it looked like that was becoming necessary. Sakura was – let's face it – a mess, and they were already twenty minutes over his set time. He doubted he'd make any headway now.

But he'd see them tomorrow, Kakashi reminded himself. _And Sakura probably could use a break…_

He cleared his throat, the cogs already turning in his head. "Let's call it a night, okay? I'll see you back again tomorrow, same time."

He looked at the picture that hung on the wall, right next to the clock; _there's hope for them, _Kakashi reminded himself. _They can be saved. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura walked out of therapy slowly. She…she didn't know _how _she felt. On one hand, she felt an immense sense of relief; it was nice to finally tell someone, to have the control to tell. But on the other hand…

On the other hand, she felt dirty, slimly, and dejected. She felt like she didn't deserve _anything, _and of course, in the back of her mind, there was that urge – to cut, to forget, to submit to nothingness.

And of course, she knew what would happen now. Everyone would leave her, now that they knew she was some post-traumatic suicidal _freak._

And her chest felt tight, like it always did when she thought about it. And it wouldn't stop until she cut. She hugged herself and stared at her feet. Her outburst – both the yelling and the tears – had taken a lot out of her, and all she wanted to do was curl up and fall asleep for a week, forever if possible.

Everyone had left now, it was just her and Naruto, Kakashi locking up. She bit her lip. _Guess I'm going to have to find another place to eat lunch…_she felt sick just thinking about it.

Sakura wanted to cry. _Great. Just great. I finally find some friends and then _this _has to happen…ugh._

"You okay, Sakura?" Naruto asked softly.

She looked up at him. There was no disgust on his face, only genuine concern. And a bruise, in the form of a small, short-fingered hand. _Her hand._

"I'm sorry," she said, and she surprised herself. Her voice was choked and small, but Naruto must've heard because he looked confused. "For what?" he asked, then, as if it suddenly hit him, he grinned. "What, for this?" he gestured to his cheek.

Sakura nodded. Naruto brushed it off. "It's fine, it barely even hurts. I'm more concerned about you."

He wasn't flirting, wasn't joking around. No, Naruto was serious, and for some reason, that intimidated her.

"I –I'm fine," she stuttered, attempting to smile and failing miserably. _Don't try to smile, you're not Naruto. _She didn't know where the thought came from, but she knew it was right – Naruto _did _smile often.

"It was Sasuke, wasn't it," he said. "He was your boyfriend." It wasn't a question. Sakura tensed, and bit her lip. "Yea," she said quietly, trying not to cry again.

"Bastard," Naruto said. "So…why were you so upset when I fought him?"

The question threw Sakura off. It was such a curveball that she didn't know how to answer it. She wasn't Sai, who could fake something; she wasn't Gaara, who could get away with glaring the asker into submission; she wasn't Skye, who never was lost for words; and she wasn't Naruto, who knew himself and had no qualms about answering truthfully.

But the number one reason why she couldn't answer him was because she didn't know why herself. "It's…complicated," she settled on, executing a less fail of a smile. "I'm okay…I promise."

A car pulled up and beeped – her brother and his universal 'I'm here, get in the car' lingo. "That's my ride," she said to Naruto, wondering _why _she sounded apologetic. "I'll see you?" She asked tentatively.

A line formed between Naruto's brow, but was replaced by a grin almost as soon as it appeared. "Yea, I'll see you! Bye, Sakura!"

And, despite herself, despite the fact that she felt like shit and had been _crying _ten minutes ago, she found herself smiling. "Bye, Naruto."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxv **(A/N it can pretty much end here, but this following scene popped into my head and I figure, "Why the Indigo not?")**

Sakura should've known that her brother would've noticed something. He didn't say anything, only ran a hand through his hair and turned the radio down a couple notches as she shut the door. Some harsh-sounding rap was playing, something more akin to shouting to a beat than singing.

"So, Sak," he said as they drove off, "What's wrong?"

Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't deny anything, not to Karou. "Erm," she said, fiddling with her hands. "Just stuff, you know?"

Karou _mhmed._ "Okay, now what's _really _bugging you?" they stopped at a red light and he turned to her. "You were smiling, I swear you were, but it's obvious. You've been _crying._" He gestured to her cheeks, which Sakura knew were red. "What was it?" he added gently.

Sakura bit her lip. Throughout everything, the memories coming back, the cutting, the trials. Karou had been _there,_ but she had never talked to him about it, not really. Karou had been close with her dad, and well…she wasn't sure if he would believe her. But he didn't resent her for it, at least, if he did, it wasn't as much as her mother.

"At therapy…were you talking about _him?" _he asked darkly.

Feeling helpless, Sakura nodded. A lump formed in her throat.

Karou sighed. "Listen, Sak," he said, and Sakura braced herself, knew that finally, Karou was about to reject her, just like Sasuke and Ino and all the others had at first. But instead, for the second time that night, a comforting hand was placed on her shoulder. "It's not your fault," he said, soft but powerful. "I don't care what _he _said, what anyone says. It's not your fault. Do you hear me?"

Sakura looked over at him, really looked. Karou looked so much older than nineteen; it was like he had aged ten years since the trial. _His _trial. He looked weary, worn.

But his words were comforting, and although Sakura didn't realize it, they were words she desperately needed to hear.

She wasn't fully better, no, Sakura _did _realize that. But…well, maybe...maybe she was on the path to becoming whole.

"Thanks, Karou," she said, reaching up and squeezing his hand. "Thanks."

And Karou smiled, relief washing over his features. "You're a good kid, you know that?" he said. "Now let's change the song, this crap's giving me a headache."

And Sakura could only half-smile and focus on changing the radio station while she wiped away her tears, and Karou could only stare at the road ahead of him, because he knew that if he took a look at his little sister, at how absolutely _broken _she looked, he'd start crying as well.


	13. Chapter 13

Sakura sat up in her bed. The covers bunched around her waist, exposing her bare arms. Normally she paid them no heed – her arms were pale and smooth, seemingly normal teenage girl arms. But, twist the arms maybe forty-five degrees, and the marred, mangled undersides will show.

Definitely _not _normal teenage girl arms.

Ugly scars, all in varying stages of healing, covered her underarms, from her wrist to her elbow. Some were raised, some were flat, some white, some pink. All were self-inflicted.

She gazed at them for a moment before turning away in – what? Disgust? Shame?

Sakura didn't want to contemplate it. _He _was the cause for her scars. _He _was the cause for _everything._

_He can burn in hell for all I care. _

_No, _the more aggressive corner of her brain, the part that usually was silent, said, _you care. You _want _him to burn in hell. _

Well, Sakura couldn't deny that. She sighed. Today was going to be one of _those _days, she could tell. One of those days where she felt like crap and didn't want to do anything. One of those days when she questioned why she kept living, when she had a heavy heart and her throat felt tight and an attack was lurking right around the corner.

_And I have therapy tonight…great. _

She groaned. _And it's not going to be pretty. _

She felt a surge of shame. _Why did I have to freak out like that? And then _cry_? God, of all the stupid things to do…_

Sakura went through her routine of the day as she usually did, (making sure her arms were covered) although things were…slower, more mechanical. Therapy last night had reopened tons of old scars, and, true to her words, they were bleeding.

_But…at least Naruto and Skye don't seem to think I'm a freak…right? _

She shuffled down the corridor that led to the lunchroom, and was still debating on whether or not she wanted to enter, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She nearly jumped a mile. She whirled, prepared to chew the person out, when she saw the grinning face of Naruto. "Hey, Sakura," he said, "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me," Sakura said, but without her usual vigor.

And Naruto noticed this. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he said "Whatever you say, Sakura," with a smile. But inwardly, he was concerned. "Anyway," he said, "I have to go, but I think Skye's in there," he inclined his head in the direction of the lunchroom. "I have detention for the rest of the week, during lunch _and _after school," he groaned. "But at least that jerk does too. So, I'll see you tonight?"

He was pleased when a corner of Sakura's mouth twitched up into a smile.

_Why is it that whenever he's around, I smile? Even when I don't feel like smiling? _

She wasn't in a very talkative mood, but she humored him. "Yea, I'll see you tonight."

He grinned. "Okay, see you later!"

"Don't beat anyone up, hear me?" she called. But her words fell on deaf ears. Naruto was just short of running down the hallway, and far out of earshot by the time she finished her sentence.

Sakura shook her head, and with a new spring in her step, headed to her usual table.

_Maybe it's not so bad after all…_

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto stopped his almost-sprint seconds before he entered the detention center. It was a disused classroom with old desks that had crude messages and pictures carved into them, and the rest of the room wasn't much better. Late fall half-light filtered in through the windows; they didn't do much to illuminate the classroom.

The same white-haired man who had pulled Sasuke and Naruto off each other sat at the desk in the front of the room marking papers, and two other students were leaving.

Jiraiya looked up as he entered. "Oh, it's you. Take a seat and eat, no talking, no iPods, no cellphones, you know the drill." He looked up long enough to see where Naruto sat, the first seat near the door in the back, then went back to his writing.

Two minutes later Sasuke sauntered in. Jiraiya repeated what he had said to Naruto, and Sasuke took his seat across the room in the back, farthest away from Naruto's.

_Tch…bastard…_

It wasn't just what had happened in the lunch room, it wasn't just his history with Sakura – something about the dark-haired boy rubbed Naruto the wrong way. (The aforementioned points weren't helping his case, though.)

Naruto sat back and slid his gaze over to the Uchiha. He was dressed fashionably in that annoying punk style that wasn't punk at all in the way that pretty much screamed 'I have money.' He sat, cool and brooding, alternately eating a sandwich and doing homework. A normal high schooler in detention to almost anybody else. But still…Naruto wondered.

Sure, there were rumors. Like that he practically lived in his brother's shadow; how his parents were dead; how he had single-handedly won the JV football championship as a freshman and was the only sophomore on Varsity.

Actually, only the last part was confirmed. But the rest still made for an interesting guy…but…

What was this kid's past with Sakura? And, if Sakura was telling the truth (and what reason would she have to lie?) Sasuke had been her boyfriend and had tried to rape her. Or at least push her past her limits. Or something awkward like that.

And that was really what sickened Naruto. He wasn't a prude – okay, maybe technically, but that's only because he hadn't really _liked _any girls he'd met (but that's a different story) – but he wasn't naïve. Oblivious, yes, blunt, yes, but not naïve. He knew what high school kids did and whatnot. But…

Naruto had a strong sense of chivalry, justice, hell - simple plain _civility,_ that made him sick when he heard of things like that. Especially when it was people he knew.

And sitting in the same room as the _asshole _that had – ugh. He'd take Gaara hitting Sakura or that Rynn kid jabbing at Skye _any _day.

Naruto lay his head down on the desk. _Damn Uchiha…_

The teacher stood up. "I am going to leave for five minutes. If I come back here and find the room destroyed…" he let that hang and gave the boys direct looks. Naruto lazily watched him leave.

He waited ten seconds for the teacher to be out of earshot before he fired a question at the other boy. "What happened with you and Sakura?"

It took Sasuke so long to answer that Naruto thought he hadn't heard him. But no, the boy set down his pen, looked at Naruto, and smirked. "I _told _you, she's a tease. An insecure girl with issues. Nothing special. Why?"

Naruto grit his teeth. _Be nice, no fights the last thing you need is to piss Iruka off. _"I mean," he said, "What happened _between _the two of you?"

"I don't see why _you'd _like to know," Sasuke remarked mildly. "But whatever. We dated. She came easy, if you catch my drift. But when it came down to it," he shrugged. "She didn't want to commit."

"…And by that you mean? Help me understand here." Naruto had picked himself up and was sitting straight, eyes boring holes into the empty black ones that stared back at him.

Sasuke smirked. "Well, when a girl comes running to you in the middle of the night, what do you think she's asking for?"

It a moment, but eventually it clicked. Sakura had probably had an anxiety attack or remembered or something, and had gone to Sasuke for help, and then…..

"_Bastard,"_ Naruto snarled. "What kind of guy _does _that to a girl?"

Sasuke _tch_ed. "What do you know? Well, guess I can't blame you – you can't _possibly _get a lotta girls. I mean, what's up with your _face?_"

Naruto felt a growl rise in his throat. He stood, knuckles white. Dimly, in the back of his mind, he knew what this guy was doing – provoking him, using anything he could to get a reaction. One of the most basic cutthroat bullying techniques.

But that had been the final straw.

"I dunno, what's up with yours? It really is a wonder how you 'get so many girls,' considering you _look _like one," Naruto countered. He had long ago grown immune to the taunts about the whisker-like marks on his face. They had been a part of him almost as long as he could remember, the only indicator that they were scars and not birthmarks were baby pictures from long ago.

And, you know, the confession of his uncle – but again, that's a different story.

Sasuke had crossed the room in less than a second. Naruto barely had time to raise his arm to block Sasuke's fist before it collided with his face. "You _looking _for a fight?" Sasuke growled lowly, pulling back.

"Anytime you think your man enough!" Naruto spat back.

"Oh, whenever you're ready, Blondie!"

"I was _born _ready, asshole!"

Despite the shouting, neither boy moved. Now, they stood there, blue eyes meeting black, snarls plastered on their faces. Then Sasuke poked him in the chest, hard.

"It's a bad idea to mess with me," he stated, in what Naruto recognized as a 'dangerous-soft' voice.

Naruto snorted. "Really? I thought that I handed your ass to you the other day. But if you want it done again –"

This time Sasuke _did _punch him, in the face.

Hard.

Naruto stumbled back and fell. "_Bastard!"_ he hissed from his point on the ground.

But the other boy only smirked. "Like I said. Bad idea." He turned his back to Naruto as an insult and headed back to his seat.

Naruto growled and jackknifed to his feet, just as the teacher walked in. He glanced at Naruto's fuming face, at Sasuke's bored expression, made an indecipherable noise, and headed back to his desk.

Naruto inwardly growled and sat back down, glaring at the other boy all throughout the rest of the period.

_Better watch it, Uchiha. If you give me _one _reason to, I swear to God I'll break your face. I promise._

And Naruto _never _broke his promises.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey, Sakura!"

Said girl stopped and looked around. Skye was calling her, running up the hallway. Eighth period had just let out and Sakura was leaving to catch the bus.

Skye caught up to her. "Hey. So, I was wondering if I could borrow you for a sec?"

Sakura blinked. "Uhm…what?"

Skye grinned, in a way that would be like Naruto if it wasn't as roguish. "We –ell. I kinda have this thing in art due tomorrow, and I kinda procrastinated for the longest time. And I also need a model. It won't be too long, my brother can drive you home if you need a ride and all – can you?"

Sakura felt a little put on the spot, not to mention a little awkward. "Model…?"

Skye rolled her eyes. "Get your mind outta the gutter. It's just your eyes, I promise."

Sakura bit her lip. _Why are you taking so long? It's not a hard decision! _She inwardly berated herself. She swallowed. After what had happened with everything- with the café and Naruto fighting Sasuke and her little freak-out last night, she was a mental wreck.

_Maybe taking a little time just sitting there as a model will help._

"Okay, I'm in. But why me?" The words were scarcely out of her mouth when Skye began dragging her to the art room at a near run. "Great!" Skye said. "And well 'cause it's a hell less awkward when you _know _the person who's modeling, you know? And you have pretty eyes – not to creep, I just have a thing for eyes – and here we are."

Sakura had never been in the art room before – and it was quite a sight. It was a large room with industrial lighting, open windows despite the cold air, and so much clutter that it made Sakura's neat-freak sense tingle. The desks were arranged in a haphazard matter, but it seemed that most of them were shoved together to make a larger table. Several students milled about, some sculpting, some painting, others just sketching. Skye let go of Sakura's wrist and sauntered over to one desk in particular.

"Just put your bag wherever," Skye said as she shrugged a paint-stained smock over her otherwise black attire. "And sit." She began setting up her canvas and went to retrieve paints and water.

Sakura moved a chair over and sat down, placing her bag down. She took out her phone and checked it – a message from her mother reminding her to unload the dishwasher and –

Some guy had tripped over her bag. "Sorry!" he said, standing up quickly.

"It's my fault, I probably should put this out of the way," Sakura said quietly, standing to pick up her bag. The boy was probably a freshman, really slender, with too many facial piercings to count. He blinked large, bright green eyes at her. _Wait a sec, he looks really familiar…_ "Hey, you're the girl from – ah, man. Sorry about that. Really."

So Sakura was right. He was one of the boys from Saturday. _Oh God, that seems like an eternity from today._

He stuck out his hand. "I'm Kyon."

More on instinct that anything, Sakura shook it. "Sakura."

He nodded. "Sorry 'bout Kev – the kid with blue hair- He was pissed already and," he shrugged, pushed his platinum-blond hair back – it was long, longer than Sakura's. "Well, there really is no stopping that guy." _Gosh, he looks feminine. _

Sakura shrugged. "I –it's okay. No one got hurt, right?" she felt herself relaxing. She knew that some people have the ability to put others at ease – this kid obviously did. _Sort of like how Naruto has the ability to make anyone smile. _

Kyon smiled. "Yea, no harm done. Well, 'cept to Kev's pride. But, whatever," he rubbed the back of his neck in a way that reminded Sakura of Naruto.

She laughed. "Yea, your right."

He flashed a grin. "Anyway. I haven't seen you around the art department before. Why're you here?"

"I'm – "

"With me," Skye said, arching an eyebrow at the boy. Kyon glanced up, and muttered an 'oh.' Sakura's eyes flitted between the two – Skye looking cool and Kyon just plain awkward.

"So what was Saturday all about?" Kyon said quietly. "I mean – "

Skye sighed. "Look, Blondie. I have no problem with you. Let's keep it that way, huh?" she nodded to what he was carrying, several canvases, half of them painted. "Nice work. Keep it up – but remember to paint the sides."

Kyon frowned, but nodded. "Okay, Skye I'll keep that in mind. Bye." Turning to Sakura, he said, "See you around, Sakura."

"Bye, Kyon," Sakura found herself saying. The boy smiled and ambled over to his desk.

Sakura turned to Skye. "You don't have to be so mean. He's a sweetheart."

Skye looked up from her paint mixing. "I'm not 'being mean.' Look, it's a long story, okay? And besides, I didn't know if he was messing with you. I don't like it when people mess with my friends," she added the last sentence quietly and directed it to the blob of rapidly lightening green paint.

"Oh," Sakura said, equally quietly. Then, "We're friends now?"

She didn't know why she said it – what _possessed _her to say it. She didn't want to offend Skye, but she also didn't want to assume –

Skye snorted. "When you run from the cops with someone who you also happen to go to group therapy with, you kinda've reached that point."

Sakura smiled. "I guess you have a point, huh?"

Skye grinned wolfishly. "Of course I do. Now, if you could be so kind as to scoot over so I can actually _see _your eyes, hmm?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, Skye had completed her painting – an inky blue background with a pair of eyes staring at you, a silver crescent moon and stars with shapes that ranged from commas to actual stars strewn in the background. It was pretty, Sakura had to admit, if not abstract. And sort of freaky how she could recognize her own eyes in there.

Skye shrugged out of her smock, all brushes cleaned and painting safely away. "You need a ride home?"

"That'd be great," Sakura said. She had been right – the hour of complete and total _nothing_ had really helped soothe her, helped push away the twinge she felt in her stomach when she thought about therapy tonight, made her feel _light. _Like nothing was weighing on her shoulders or in her gut.

She really liked that feeling.

"Okay," Skye said as they descended the stairs. "But I'm warning you now, Fey drives like he's in Grand Theft Auto. And he has a trucker mouth."

"Well then we know where you get it from, then," Sakura said. Skye rolled her eyes. "Please. _That _I developed on my own. He just helped." She grinned and stepped outside and onto the school grounds.

It was almost dark, and chilly. Sakura zipped up her jacket as they rounded the corner of the school. "God, I wish that spring would just come already," she muttered.

"Really? I like the cold," Skye said. Sakura shook her head. "_Why? _It's so…."

"Cold?" Skye supplied sarcastically. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sh –"

She was momentarily speechless. Before her, on the soccer field just before the gates, were two boys, really going at each other. A small ring of people watched them, although no one was laughing, no one was yelling 'fight!'

They were eerily silent.

The two boys rolled on the grass, and as Skye tugged Sakura closer, she could see who they were.

All her carefree feelings flew out the window in that moment.

The guys who were fighting were Sasuke and Naruto.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto grabbed two fistfuls of Sasuke's jacket and pushed him to the side, avoiding the other boy's fists. He stood up, wiped the blood from his jaw and spat. "Come at me, douchebag!"

Sasuke jumped to his feet and made to tackle Naruto from the waist. Naruto sidestepped it, and when Sasuke brought himself back to his full height Naruto went in with a direct hit to the solar plexus.

He heard the air go out of Sasuke, but the other boy had the sense to grasp Naruto's shoulders and throw him down.

Naruto hit the ground hard, winded. Sasuke kicked him once, but then Naruto rolled out of his reach and jackknifed to his feet. He snarled and ran into the other boy again – this time Sasuke was ready, and slugged him right in the face.

Naruto ignored that. Face shots really didn't do too much damage, once you got over the shock factor. Chest shots, however….

The boys hit and snarled and kicked, and broke apart in eerie unison. Naruto's ribs hurt, and his face – which, in his opinion had taken way too much abuse over the past two days – stung. He spat, and the two boys stood there, sizing each other up.

Sasuke was taller – not by much, but by enough – and a little bit more muscular –again, not by much. But his fighting skills were rusty – he had done more damage to Naruto when he tackled or took him down. _Stupid football player. _

They stood, panting. "Had enough yet?" Sasuke growled.

Naruto snarled in answer. When he got like this – saw red, fought – he wasn't exactly coherent.

Sasuke growled. "Then prepare to die!" he reached into his pocket, and with a _chink _the blade of a knife slid out.

Naruto swallowed. He had a thing – an aversion, if you will – with knives. He _hated _them, what they could do, how the cold, sharp metal felt against your skin.

"I'm gonna make some more marks on your face, whisker-boy," Sasuke said. And he ran to the side and jumped on Naruto.

They both hit the ground – Naruto looked up and caught Sasuke's knife hand with his own. They struggled for a minute in a battle of sheer will, then Naruto got the upper hand and grabbed the knife out of Sasuke's hand.

_Shitty gri ,man, _Naruto thought. The space between his middle and ring fingers was bleeding from the blade. Naruto ignored it and slashed at Sasuke's cheek – shallow, not long, but enough to send the other boy off of him.

Naruto stood and laughed bitterly. "You really disgust me, you know that?" he shook his head and tossed the knife into the bushes as if it had bit him. "Trashing girls and fighting with a _knife?_" Naruto shook his head. "It's guys like you that make the rest of us look bad."

The crowd was murmuring amongst itself now; Naruto ignored them. Sasuke glared at him, pure unadulterated hatred gleaming in his eyes. "You little shit," he said. "You think that's my only knife?"

Then Sasuke laughed, cold and brittle, and without warning, came running at Naruto.

_Oh, shit._

Naruto was between the fence and a tree that grew on the edge of the field. No room to run, no room to dodge. The lowest branch on the tree was at least thirty feet up, and he doubted he had enough strength to fend Sasuke off like that again.

_Looks like I'm going to have to wing it._

Naruto took a stance and prepared himself for the impact, but it never came.

A tall boy stood between Naruto and Sasuke…between Naruto and the knife. _Gaara. _His hand gripped Sasuke's wrist, the blade an inch away from Gaara's Adam's apple.

It didn't seem to bother him in the least.

The boy growled, low in his throat. "Leave. Now."

When no one moved, it turned into a bark. "LEAVE!"

The crowd dispersed in two seconds flat.

All but two, that is. Skye and Sakura stood there, the former looking intrigued and the latter looking scared. Sakura was, indeed, rooted to the spot.

Gaara glared at Sasuke with a look that killed kittens. Sasuke stared back, but Naruto didn't miss the flicker of fear in his otherwise empty eyes. "Drop it," Gaara commanded. When Sasuke resisted, the other boy applied more pressure to his arm, a sadistic smirk on his face.

Sasuke dropped the knife. "Fucker," he spat.

Gaara kicked the knife back to Naruto and dropped the other boy's arm. Naruto picked up the knife and chucked it into the bushes like its predecessor. He crossed his arms and opted out of responding.

Now, Sasuke had a decision to make. He could either try and fight both boys, or walk away now. The latter cost him his pride. The former cost him his pride _and _his face.

Sasuke stood there a moment, sizing Gaara up in his mind. Around his height and build, not as scrawny-looking as Naruto but still slender.

But, unlike Sasuke, Gaara was rough and ready to go and had not spent the last fifteen minutes fighting.

Sasuke spat, muttered some sort of insults, then said, "It's on, Uzumaki. I'll be watching, waiting. And the moment your alone, the moment you least expect it – I'll be there. And tell Sakura to –"

"You don't wanna finish that," Naruto growled. Gaara took a step closer for emphasis.

Sasuke growled. "Whatever. But you'll _always _be a loser. And soon, you'll be a dead loser."

With that he stepped around Gaara, purposely bumped into Naruto, and walked away.

"Fuck off," Naruto muttered. Gaara turned to him, arching a nonexistent eyebrow. "And you told me not to get into any fights?" he asked flatly. Naruto grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"Naruto!" Sakura called. "What the – oh my God, are you okay?" Sakura had recovered from her initial shock and was now walking towards him, Skye in tow.

He grinned weakly. "I'm fine, you should've seen the other guy –"

"We did," Skye said flatly. "And he had a knife."

Naruto _huffed_. "Well whatever. I had him. Mostly. Thanks," he added to Gaara, "By the way."

Gaara 'hned' but then said, "Why did you fight?"

"Good question," Sakura said. "Why? And why _Sasuke?_ How badly did you hurt him?"

Now, it is common knowledge that Naruto was what one could call an idiot. But he is also rather perceptive. The sad and simple fact is that most of what Naruto perceives does not click or bear any significance in his mind.

Keyword being 'most.'

But he caught it – the worry in Sakura's tone, her questions, felt the eyes of Gaara and Skye on him – and he _knew _that he couldn't tell the entire story.

Not now, anyway.

"He's a _bastard." _The vehemence in his voice surprised Naruto. "And he was practically _begging _for it. Man, he is so full of it. But anyway – oh _shit._" It had just dawned on Naruto – he needed Iruka to pick him up and he knew that no matter what he said, his guardian would _not _like the fact that Naruto got into a fight. He'd have to report it and then there'd be all the legal stuff and –

Naruto's brain hurt just thinking about it.

"You can't get into fights, can you?" surprisingly enough, the observation came from Gaara.

"Yea," Naruto muttered, "And I think that he bruised my ribs."

"But you were gonna fight the other guy," Sakura said, tilting her head. "And you fought Sasuke the other day."

"Yea, well Iruka forgot to mention that every time I get into a fight he has to tell – it's apparently a really big legal issue. He was gonna let me slide but it was at school so…and Saturday was nothing," the words came out rushed, mumbled. His body – and the abuse it had endured – was catching up to him now that the adrenaline was wearing off. "I'm so screwed."

"Not quite," Skye said thoughtfully. "You have anywhere to be? Before therapy?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Good. My brother's picking me and Sakura up. He could give you a ride to my place, we can fix you up, teach you how to apply concealer, and boom. You're good as new. Plus you have an alibi."

Sakura was nodding. "And I could look at your injuries – erm, if you want me to. I can keep them from getting infected and stuff…and your hand, well…" she gestured to it – Naruto glanced down.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

"And Gaara should come too – for alibi purposes," Sakura said, nodding triumphantly. "It all works out. I think."

It all made sense to Naruto. "If Skye's cool with it."

Skye nodded. "I just wanna know where my brother is."

"He's right here," a tall, slender man – probably twenty – with dark brown hair down to his cheekbones stepped out. He crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. He surveyed the group with lazy blue eyes, taking in Sakura (who now looked meek,) Skye (whose pose mirrored her brother's) Gaara (who had gone back to the default expression of glaring at the world) and Naruto (who, if he looked as bad as he felt, looked like shit.)

"And I think I deserve an explanation."


	15. Chapter 15

The man was greeted with silence. "Well?" he said, tilting his head and stepping forward. "Let's see. There's blood – some idiot brought a knife. You," he gestured to Naruto, "Are the only one beat up, so the other guy left. The rest of you watched – am I right so far?" He turned to Skye with an odd-expression on his face – halfway between amused and pissed. "Unless you gang-jumped him."

"It's not as bad as it looks," Naruto mumbled crossly. He cast a glance at Skye, then back to her brother, trying to catch the family resemblance. Both of them were sort of small, and had blue eyes, but that was pretty much all he could detect.

Skye sighed. "Look, Fey, considering you probably caught the tail end of that, I'll make it short and sweet: we could _really _use a ride to your place so we can fix Naruto up. We'll be really quick, I promise. And no, Naruto didn't bring the knife so you can skip on the lecture. And please. I know better to gang-jump someone in plain sight." She looked at her brother pleadingly. "Please, Fey? Do me a solid? And you know Terra's gonna flip on the both of us if she finds out."

Fey rolled his eyes and muttered something too low for Naruto to hear. "Fine. I expect the full story on the way there, kid. Get in the car, all of you." He shook his head and directed the next sentence at Naruto. "And try not to get blood on the car, okay?"

Naruto grinned sardonically. "No promises," he said. Fey rolled his eyes again and muttered something inaudible…again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

For the car trip, Skye and Naruto split the story between them as they told it to Fey. Sakura sat between Gaara and Naruto – not by choice, she had been forced on the pretense 'Skye gets front and you're the next smallest.' She saw the look on Gaara's face and figured it was best not to complain. She clutched the makeup kit in her lap in a white-knuckled grip for the first five minutes until she had relaxed.

Skye and Fey were an odd pair. Fey was calm and quiet and sarcastic; Skye was energetic and blunt and sarcastic.

Watching them interact was highly amusing.

Currently, they were having a war over the radio. Fey would put it on a classic rock station, Skye would roll her eyes, call him old, and switch it to a contemporary rock station. Fey would call that white noise and change it back. Then Skye flicked him. Fey, not taking his eyes off the road, poked her.

And so on.

Finally they pulled up to a mid-sized condo-like house. Fey pulled into the driveway and led them up.

"Allow me to apologize in advance for my roommates," he said, before opening the door.

_Wait, Skye doesn't live here? Well, yea, guess… 'Fey's place…'_

Sakura cast a look at Skye, who shrugged. "Some people are alive solely because I've run out of places to hide bodies."

Sakura and Naruto laughed. Gaara stood impassively.

The house was surprisingly clean, if it held several twenty-something men. The living room – well, Sakura assumed it was the living room, if the TV and couch were anything to go by – had nearly every gaming system imaginable and several soda –and beer – bottles strewn around. The coffee table was littered with books, papers, and mail and the couch had probably seen better days. Still, there was no mold growing anywhere.

Sakura took this as a good sign.

"Hey, Fey, what's with the teenyboppers?" a tall, muscular man asked as he strolled from the kitchen into the living room.

"My sister and her friends, Akio." Fey answered, plopping down on the couch. "Otherwise known as Trouble and Terror."

"It's okay, we don't bite," Skye said to Akio, stepping around him. "C'mon, this way."

As they followed Skye, Akio exclaimed, "The hell happened to you?"

"Fight," Naruto muttered. "But you should see the other guy."

"I'll bet," Akio laughed, slapping Naruto on the back. "Good job, kid." He ignored Naruto's wince and went to talk to Fey.

"Ooowww," Naruto hissed. Sakura laughed. "It's not funny, Sakura!" he whined, pouting.

"Stop acting like a toddler, will you?" Sakura said. Naruto said nothing as they stepped into the kitchen. It was midsized, with an island off to the side.

"Sit," Skye commanded, gesturing to the countertop. Gingerly, Naruto hoisted himself up. "What are you gonna do to me?"

Skye snorted. "Stop acting like you're going into surgery. First Sakura's gonna clean you up…hold on a sec." She hopped opened a full-length cabinet next to the fridge and surveyed its contents, then stood on tiptoe to try and reach the medicine. "Dammit…" she jumped, and couldn't grab it.

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Here." He reached above her head and took down the bin with multiple tubes and pills inside it, with a look on his face that dared her to challenge him. Cheeks going pale, Skye took it with a muttered, "Thanks."

Sakura giggled. "You're so short."

"Hey, you're like what, three inches taller than me?" Skye said indignantly.

"Take the boots off, then we'll see," Sakura said, reaching into the bin and plucking out the peroxide and Neosporin. "Can you get some band aids, gauze, and cotton balls?" She asked Skye.

Skye nodded. "Gimme a sec."

She returned thirty seconds later with all of what Sakura requested.

Sakura almost rolled up her sleeves, but stopped herself at the last second. "Okay, take off your shirt," she said to Naruto. A second later she realized what she had said and blushed several shades of red.

Naruto grinned and arched his eyebrows suggestively. Skye rolled her eyes. "She needs to see what damage was done to your ribs, genius." Sakura shot her a grateful look.

Naruto _humphed_ but took off his shirt.

It wasn't pretty. The left side of his ribs was all bruised, and so was some of his back and chest. There was one very shallow cut on his shoulder, probably from when he was forced down and hit a stone.

Sakura got right to work. She knew what she was doing, washing the blood away with peroxide and applying the Neosporin. She ignored the frequent 'ows!' from Naruto and tried not to think about how…nice…his upper body was.

She inwardly facepalmed. _No, bad thoughts! This is Naruto. _Nar-u-to. _Idiot from therapy. And nice upper body? Why in the name of all things pink are you thinking that formally? He's ripped, just say it – No! _

She shook her head to rid herself of the contradictory thoughts. "Here, give me your hand," she muttered. "There's nothing I can do for your ribs or back, except ice…" she cast a glance at Skye. The other girl nodded and opened the freezer.

Sakura cleaned his hand. "God, Naruto, how'd you get this?"

"It was either my hand or my face," Naruto said. "Ow, man it hurts to _shrug."_

"Then you're gonna have a hard time sleeping." Fey said. Four heads snapped in his direction. He was leaning against the door frame, watching them with lidded eyes. "It doesn't look like anything's cracked or broken, but you probably did a _lot _of internal bruising to your ribs. If I were you, I'd get that checked out." Fey walked over and poked Naruto right were the bruising was the worst.

Naruto grit his teeth and hissed, and Sakura internally winced. That had to hurt.

"Well _you're _a med student," Skye said. "Why don't you give us your statement?"

He spared Skye a Look before turning back to Naruto. "She's right, ice will be the best. Even if it's broken. Does it hurt to breathe?"

"Not too much," Naruto said weakly. Fey sighed and placed his ear to the boy's chest. "Breathe, deeply."

"Erm…" Naruto looked confused, but inhaled anyway. Fey picked himself up and stared at his chest. "Again."

Naruto did as he was told.

Fey frowned. "Nothing's broken, from what I can tell. Still, take it easy and ice it for the next…week, at least, or until the pain goes away. If it gets any worse, get it checked out."

He turned his gaze to Sakura. _He has really pretty eyes,_ she thought absently. "Nice work with patching him up. You going to be a doctor or something?"

Sakura felt herself turn pink. "Maybe…thanks." She had never before been complimented on her medical knowledge, and one coming from a semi-attractive man majoring in some form of medicine really flattered her.

Fey nodded then grinned at Skye. "Man, kiddo, the kids you run with."

Skye grinned back. "Yee-sh?"

Fey cast his eyes ceiling-ward and ruffled her hair on his way out.

"Alright, here's the ice," Skye handed a bag of ice to Naruto. He placed it on his ribs. "Ah –" he shut his eyes and opened them again. "What now?"

"Sakura, the makeup kit?"

Sakura handed the makeup kit to Skye, feeling just a little like a mad scientist's assistant.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh hell no."

"Oh, yes," Skye said, for all the world sounding like a mad scientist. "You said you couldn't get into a fight, right? Well with that shiner, no one's gonna believe that. So, concealer it is! So stay still."

"Ow!"

"I didn't even touch you!"

Naruto grumbled.

Skye applied the makeup to his face, and Sakura recognized some of her motions from painting. _Is she treating his face like that? I'm not sure if that's going to work…_

"Here, what do you guys think?" Skye stepped back. Sakura took a step forward, Gaara a step behind her. There was no trace of a fight on Naruto's face, save for a scrap on his cheek. "Wow…it looks good."

"It looks like he's wearing eye shadow. Lighten it up on his eyelid," Gaara said, scrutinizing Naruto's face. Skye peered at the boy and nodded, wordlessly lightening the area. Gaara nodded coldly and stepped back.

"Okay, take the ice off and look in the mirror," Skye commanded. Naruto did as he was told. "Woah…" he said, poking his eye. "Ow!"

Sakura shook her head and sighed. Some people never learn.

"Just keep it on for the rest of the night; we'll show you how to put it on, then you can do it tomorrow morning. Sakura or I will touch it up at lunch or after school." Skye began cleaning up the medicine. "That work?"

Naruto nodded. "Yea – " his ringtone, something Sakura half-recognized, cut him off. Naruto felt around in his pockets for a moment, then answered his phone. "Hey. Erm, Skye's. From school. Uh-huh. Okay. Ramen. I'll be there." He hung up. "Iruka," he said sheepishly. "He, erm, wants me home. Like now. But I live like a block away from here so it should be good, I can walk it."

Sakura glanced at the clock. _Crap! _"Yea, I should probably get home too."

"Where do you guys live? Fey can drive." Skye said, "And I need to get back to my sister's place anyway."

_Right. She lives with her sister…wonder what happened to her parents? Guess that's not the best question to ask, though…_

"I'm pretty close to here – the playground's down the street, right?" Sakura asked. Skye nodded and arched her eyebrow at Gaara. "And you?"

"I'll walk." His reply was curt, in the same semi-rough monotone he always used. _Except for that one time…_Sakura shuddered thinking about it. _It's all over. Remember, Naruto said he's not going to hurt you._

"Alright," said Skye, putting on her jacket. "Grab your bags and let's go."


	16. Chapter 16

Gaara was confused.

Many would use the word _disturbed,_ or perhaps _psychopathic,_ but we are not referring to his psyche. Right now, the term 'confused' is applying to his current train of thought.

Naruto had fought Sasuke – okay, Gaara understood that. But his reason for fighting Sasuke? What was it? Gaara had an idea, but…

_That girl…she must really mean something to him…but _what _does she mean to him? _

And then there was the whole episode with Skye and her brother – in the car, their general language to each other – it was completely different from how Skye treated anyone else, how Gaara treated _his _siblings.

His head hurt just thinking about it.

Gaara walked inside his house, ignored his siblings, and went right up to his room. He didn't know why he had agreed to go with Naruto and Skye and Sakura, and he didn't want to ponder it.

He _did _know why he had interfered – and he knew from the look that Naruto had given him that the other boy did too. _A debt repaid._ Gaara could understand that. Naruto had helped him out with that Kev kid, and now Gaara had done the same with Naruto and Sasuke.

_Damn Uchiha._

He respected the Uzumaki boy; he wasn't like most people and afraid, or like another sect of a sympathetic few. No, Naruto _understood._

_Unlike everyone else. _

A scowl came over Gaara's features. People pretended to care, but they never really did. He learned that one a decade ago. He knew that no one really cared, not really. Understanding, however, was different.

Suddenly, Gaara began to feel claustrophobic. He needed out.

He stood up and went over to his window. It was on the second floor and perpetually unlocked. Gaara had torn the screen out almost as soon as the room had become his, because it always interfered when he wanted to climb in or out. Hell, he used it almost as much as he used his own door.

Gaara stuck his head out into the chilly air. It was cold – not bitingly so, as it'd be in less than a month, but cold enough that the little hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He had only a thin hoodie on over a t-shirt.

That was fine by him. Perching on the windowsill and pausing there for a moment, Gaara inhaled deeply through his nose.

Then, he jumped.

He landed on his feet. The jump wasn't very high – technically second-story, but half of the lower level of his house was underground. Gaara speculated that it was closer to twelve or sixteen feet.

He stood up and began walking.

_I dare anyone to cross me now._

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Why are you late?"

The words that greeted Skye as she walked in the front door were just as cold as the air outside.

Ren ran up to her and demanded his daily dose of affection, whining and wagging his tail happily.

Skye knelt down to pet her dog and rolled her eyes. "I was with Fey. I _told _you that I'd be late." She peeled off her jacket and threw it over a chair. "He said he's probably not coming over this weekend, so you don't need to –"

"Why were you at Fey's?" Terra looked up from whatever she was attempting to make. She looked just like their mother had – soft brown hair, ballerina-small, but with their father's blue eyes.

The semblance made Skye scowl. "He picked me up and I had nothing better to do."

Terra _mhmed._ "You know you have class tonight, right?" It was hardly a question. Skye nodded, and spoke as if she was talking to a two-year-old. "But it's at seven. It's barely even five. I have time."

Terra narrowed her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered, turning back to what she was making. Her little sister was difficult, and still wouldn't talk about what had happened, and was such a brat, but what could Terra do? She wasn't their mother, couldn't really _punish _her. Skye was sixteen, and had never really had respect for authority. Terra really hated the entire situation sometimes.

_It'd be so much eaiser if mom was still here,_ Terra thought wistfully. But again – she was powerless. Their mother had left of her own volition, and Skye had voiced her thoughts on the woman that had birthed and raised her.

"_What?_" Skye said. She had stopped, stood up, and did that weird 'going-still' things. Her eyes were slits.

_Don't tell me I said that out loud._ "Did I say that out loud?" Terra asked. She didn't mean it to come out as bad as it did, really, but…she had to admit the satisfaction it brought. Even if she called the entire scenario that followed.

"Uh, yea, you did." Skye crossed her arms and scowled, and Terra swore she heard a hissing noise. "Do I look deaf?"

"Well with the amount of talking you do, I guess not!" Terra shot back. Something at the back of her mind was berating her – she was twenty-five, and fighting her sixteen-year-old sister. "And it's not like it isn't true!"

Skye practically spat. "She's a stupid, cowardly, selfish, _bitch,_" she hissed vehemently. "And don't you _dare _deny it; you weren't there." And with that, she turned heel and tugged her jacket back on.

"Skye –"

"And you know what else?" Skye said, louder, over her shoulder, "You're _just like her."_

And with that she slammed the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sai had been walking, not to his usual spot this time. He didn't feel like walking that far, and he wanted some subject matter that wasn't trees. The playground would be an okay place, he could draw the infrastructure of the slide or swings and he doubted that many people would be there.

He was right – only one girl was on the swing, staring at the ground and kicking the wood chips. As he drew closer, he recognized her. "Skye?" he asked as he approached.

Skye nodded. "Hey."

Sai paused. He wasn't sure what to make of her, so instead he said, "Did you hear about the fight in school today?"

She nodded. "Yea. Naruto and Sasuke were really going at it. Did you see any of it?"

Sai shook his head. "No; may I sit?" he figured it'd be best to ask. The book had said to be polite.

Skye gestured to the swing next to her. "Go ahead, I'm not stopping you."

Sai sat. "Naruto was involved in that? I didn't see it all, I had to catch my bus."

Skye nodded. "Yea; he got pretty beat up. Not as bad as Sasuke though." She smirked to herself. "Hell, it was a pretty good fight."

"Really?" Sai mused. "Well, Sasuke _is _into sports and Naruto was fighting Gaara…"

Skye nodded. "Yea. Anyway, what brings you over here this fine Thursday afternoon?" her words had a sarcastic spin.

Sai held up his sketchbook. "Different subject matter."

Skye nodded. "Ah. May I…?" she trialed off and gestured to his sketchbook. Sai saw no reason why not to let Skye flip through his book – she was into art too, after all – but it was with great difficulty that he relinquished his hold.

She took it gently and began flipping pages. Sai watched her, and found himself worrying that for some reason she'd rip a page out or tear something. But not five minutes later she had handed it back to him. "You're really good…hey, are you the one who did the lion in the art room?"

Sai nodded. The 'lion' was famous among anyone who took art at their school – it was a sketch of one of the stone lions found all over the older part of town, done in perfect detail. Sai had submitted it earlier in the year, and the teacher had hung it up with the others – except she neglected taking it back down again. Since his name was on the back, only a few knew that his hand was the one behind it.

"Wow. You're a frickin' _legend _in art II," she said, "But why is only half of the stuff in your book finished?"

Sai smiled – he knew that smiles appealed to people. "It's kind of a time skip. I started them, but I can never seem to get them done."

"Man, I hate it when that happens." She made a face. "Especially when it's a school project."

Sai nodded. "It's the worst –" he cut himself off. He had heard something, and from the look on Skye's face, she had too.

She stood. "Wanna check it out?"

Sai shrugged. Not knowing why, but with no thoughts as to why not, he followed her. The playground was bordered by a little stretch of woods; from there, Sai heard hissing and screaming, growls and curses.

If it weren't for the curses, he'd think that the sounds were feral.

"Oh shit," Skye muttered. They stepped around a tree, and Sai could see the scene.

Some kid with blue hair – the same kid from the night at Ringleaders – and Gaara were fighting.

And not the like the scuffle that they had gotten into over the weekend. This was hardcore _fighting._

Sai had only seen fights like this maybe twice. Both times the boys had been dragged off of each other and taken to the emergency room.

Two other boys were hanging nearby, out of the way of the other boys. Sai recognized them – they all went to his school and had been there that night. The black-haired boy had a bloody nose and a bruise on his face, as if he had stood to close to the whirl of limbs and teeth. The small, blond boy who was so pretty he could be a girl was there too – Sai recognized _him _because he also lived at the boys' home and was into art.

Kev had Gaara pinned now – the other boy was writhing and hissing and scratching with his one free hand, while Kev carved something into his other arm with a knife, holding down his one arm, unaffected by the hits coming at him. Then Gaara went slack for a moment, just a moment – then his free arm shot up and clasped Kev by the throat.

The other boy stopped and dropped the knife, both hands clawing at the hand around his neck. Gaara didn't let go; with his injured arm, he picked up the knife. He stood up. Kev was a little taller than him, so Gaara didn't lift him off the ground, but it didn't matter. The other boy was turning purple and his thrashing was growing weaker. He kicked, but it had no effect on Gaara.

Gaara slammed the other boy against the trunk of a tree. Kev was still breathing, but shallowly. He kicked, and did Gaara a good one to the shin. The redhead looked down and smirked.

It creeped Sai out. It reminded him of the looks caught on homicidal murders caught in the act, of someone who was hurting someone and _enjoyed it._ In Sai's mind, it went beyond 'sadistic.'

"A little more pressure and you can't breathe. You get weaker and weaker, till you pass out. I keep my hold on you for a little more than a five minutes and you die." The sadistic grin continued to grow. "But I think I'll have you struggle first."

He examined the knife in his hand. "See, I don't know why you brought a knife. Didn't anyone tell you that that's stupid?" he held it threateningly. The other boy looked panicked now.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye was trembling. This was too much like what had happened, like her father and her brother. "No," she whispered. Her hands were shaking. She didn't know if Rynn and Kyon saw her – she looked for them with her eyes. Rynn was giving her a weighty look, and Kyon looked just as scared as she felt.

_Get a hold of yourself! You were no help when you were scared back then and you'll be no help now!_

She couldn't do what Naruto had done, if only because she didn't have the body mass to knock someone over. Rynn might, but she doubted that he'd do anything.

"Skye?" Sai asked. She turned to look at him. "Yea?"

"Maybe we should call someone?"

Skye shook her head. "No, we have to stop it _now._ Remember what Naruto did?"

Sai nodded warily. "Yea…"

"Can you knock Gaara over? I'll get the knife off of him and block Kev." She swallowed.

"Won't he hurt you?"

Skye shrugged. "I don't think so…ready? One…two…three!"


	17. Chapter 17

In retrospect, it probably would've been better to simply whistle while Kev was still in control. The thought came to Skye as she barreled into him, Sai a footstep behind her. Gaara's grip on Kev slacked; she grabbed the knife off him and sheathed it, wiping the blood on the black duster that was perpetually on Kev's person.

Gaara was breathing heavily, growling like a caged wolf; Kev leaned back against the tree and was _laughing. _

Rynn and Kyon stepped forward. "Of all the suicidal thing's you've done, that takes the cake," Rynn muttered. Skye ignored him, made sure Kev wasn't about to go psycho, and stepped back. Sai had his hand on Gaara's shoulder; the other boy had blood dripping down his right arm, but he didn't seem to notice it. Suddenly, Kev shot out, practically tossed Sai aside, and pinned Gaara. "Don't anybody move."

Skye averted her eyes; it was too disturbing. _They're more like animals than people._ She swallowed and narrowed her eyes. "What the _hell?"_ she snapped, directing her words more to Kev than anyone else.

Kev grinned, a bit ruefully, as he collected himself. "A good fight, eh?" he said, then, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him. He just needs to listen." Rynn gave him a look. "You're crazy," he muttered, then gestured to Gaara. "Your friend? Yea, he's a psycho."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Yea, and Kev's not?" she shot back. "And yea, reassuring, Kev. What the hell is this about?"

Kev was crouched over Gaara, his boot on his back and his hand on the back of the other boy's head. Gaara's head was turned so he could see what was going on, half of his face pressed into the dirt. He growled, and Kev said, "Move and I'll fucking strangle you." Gaara growled, but Skye didn't doubt his ability to break out – or Kev's ability to carry out his threat.

Kyon said, "We were walking and then Kev went ahead and we followed him here – he was fighting him," he gestured to Gaara, "A good twenty minutes before you got here." He didn't meet anyone's eyes and stared at the ground. Rynn elbowed him, but before he could speak, Kev said, "Matter and anti-matter, girl." He took on a wicked grin that creeped the hell out of Skye.

"And by that you mean?" she said, crossing her arms. She glanced at Sai. He shrugged helplessly, but took a sidestep closer to her.

Kev nodded his head to Gaara. "He knows. It's what we were created to do. Our purpose, if you will."

There was a lengthy silence, then Gaara said, "What?" _Purpose? This guy knows what my purpose is supposed to be?_

Kev grinned and lifted the dye-blue forelocks that covered the right side of his forehead. A kanji was there; Skye didn't know what it meant, but what she had previously only caught glimpses of and though was a tattoo now looked more and more like a scar. He leaned forward so Gaara could see it.

Kyon had paled. "I thought that was a tattoo," he said quietly. It needed no response.

"Are you trying to be funny?" Gaara snarled. _I'll fucking _flay _him! _

Kev shook his head. "We were _created _to be foils, rivals, matter and anti-matter. It's in our _blood._" Kev shifted, rose to his full height, and took his weight off Gaara. "You mean daddy didn't tell you?"

"Sonofa_bitch," _Gaara growled, lunging at Kev. Sai held him back, but he still got a swing in. Suddenly, Skye found herself within close proximity of two testosterone-filled males who would like nothing more to rip each other's throat out. She took a step back.

Kev laughed, cold and humorless. "See? She's scared shitless, I'll bet." He gesture to Skye. "Much as she'd deny it. Much as you try to be, Love-boy, you're not normal."

"I could've told you that," Skye remarked dryly, narrowing her eyes. Kev gave her a glance. "Shut up, girl, you'll probably want to know this too."

Skye was thrown off. Kev, angry, addressing her without the use of expletives? Must be serious. She turned back to Gaara and Sai; the former was glaring at Kev, while the latter was watching with an interested look on his face.

Noting that he had everyone's attention, Kev began, "When you were still a fetus, your father gave your mother some chemicals. I'm not sure what they were, but what they do – you're probably feeling the effects of. You can go longer without eating or sleeping than most humans. You have higher stamina, intelligence, and strength," at this he grinned wickedly. "Especially if you can take on me."

"Go on," Gaara growled, eyes narrowed. Kev looked amused, but he complied. "Your father – and mine, and Skye's, and that Uzumaki's uncle – were all a part of this organization that had some theories. Theories that could ultimately lead to a new race of humans – better, stronger, smarter, more efficient. Well, they needed to run some tests. They found that their project would only succeed it they used it on Fetuses – or very small children. So, they used what they had. Your mother was pregnant with you, and I was six days old. They gave us the solution, and waited." He paused.

"What about Naruto?" Gaara demanded.

Kev grinned. "I was wondering if you'd ask that. His uncle was involved, not his parents. Unmarried, and kidnapping wasn't in his abilities. But murder? Oh, he could do that."

_Naruto's uncle murdered his parents!_

"Six years later, the three of them met up, comparing how the solution had affected us, depending on the time it was given." He smirked. "Don't you remember?"

Gaara's hand clutched at his chest and his brows came together. He shut his eyes and brought his other hand to his head. _Oh, he remembered. Fighting and screaming and blood and ow father that hurts stopitstopitSTOPIT! Crashes and cursing, fire and smoke, cursing and screaming and running, feet smacking on the pavement, shouts behind him -_

He swallowed. Breathing was difficult, and he was shaking. Kev continued to speak.

"In case you don't I'll tell you: they deemed Naruto a failure, and Marked him as such – that's where he do the scars on his face from. He had been given the solution at age three – too late. But they could tell that the effects still hadn't fully appeared on the rest of us, so they waited. Ask me how they distinguished us." When Gaara remained silent, he put more force into his words. _"Ask me."_

"The kanji," Skye murmured. Kev grinned. "Right on, Skye-girl. Ask me what the kanji mean."

"Love," the strangled sound came from Gaara. "And hate."

Kev nodded. "Exactly. We are Jinchuuriki, and there are nine of us in total – well, there will be when the experiment is over. Some are dead; others are failed experiments; still some of us have yet to determine our status among the ranks. And all Jinchuuriki have scars." He added the last sentence with a sarcastic, malicious grin.

"What?" Skye said. "You're saying that you – and Gaara, and Naruto – are human _experiments? And how the hell does my father fit into all this?_"

Kev turned to her. "Believe it, Skye," he said quietly. Then, louder, "Your father doesn't come in until later; I'm getting there. See, there were originally eighteen of us, each paired up. One, a control group the other an experimental group. I'm not about to go into the scientific shit –"

"There were nine different solutions, weren't there," Kyon mused. "And there was one differing factor between each pair – technically having more than one independent variable, which can affect the outcome of your experiment…" he trailed off when he saw Kev's face.

"Sure, Freshman," Kev said. "We'll go with that. One of the pair would have the solution before birth; the other would have it between a day and two years old. Each was Marked with a two kanji – opposites, as their natures would be."

"So one of us is going to destroy the other, am I right?" Gaara said, standing up straight, scowling.

Kev grinned. "I can only hope. Your father favored secrecy, I guess; he didn't tell you…my dad always did say that that would be his downfall…" He shook his head and scowled. "_You _effectively ended the organization and caused the arrest of nearly every single person involved. But, that's not how _your _father was arrested," he turned to Skye.

Skye snorted. "I _know _why he was arrested, I'm not stupid."

"Wait, your dad was arrested?" Rynn turned to her and blinked. She rolled her eyes. "He's been in prison for nearly a _year _now. Get with it. So, Kev, how was he involved, hmm? Or are you just full of shit?"

"He's not…lying," Gaara grunted. Skye turned to him, saw the look on his face, and nodded.

"Smart kid. Well, your father affiliated with the organization, and said that he'd be interested, and you know, volunteered his kid. But your brother was almost four, way too old; your mother was pregnant, so all he could do was hope that it wouldn't miscarriage."

"So…wait, you mean I'm a – jin – whatever?" Skye said. Her stomach was a ball of lead.

Kev chuckled. "Nope. It only works on males – something with hormones and stuff. So when you were born and turned out to be female…." He shrugged. Skye didn't know whether to be relieved or angry.

"Well, that explains a lot," Skye muttered. "But lemme guess, there's more?"

"There's always more, girl. So he wasn't too happy, but he was okay – for a while. It slowly became his obsession, working in the labs, coming up with new solutions, but jealously…it's _ten _times worse when you're a guy." Kev paused, to make sure that she was listening. "It can't be," Skye said, "It's just an emotion."

Rynn shook his head. "You're not a guy –"

"Glad you noticed."

He spared her a look. "So you wouldn't know."

"He's right, Skye," Sai said. "It's psychology proven." He stared at Kev. "But where is this taking you?"

Kev shrugged. "I think Skye can figure it out." he smirked sardonically. "See, her daddy was also a heavy drinker, and one night…"

"Shut up, Kev. I know where this is going. I saw what was going on – then _and _now. You were…whatdya call it, Marking? – Gaara."

Kev nodded. "Ask me what is says," he said, quietly to Gaara. "Ask me what I carved into your arm."

"What – did – you carve into my arm?" Gaara grit, twisting his arm so everyone could see. The blood had stopped flowing for the most part, and dried blood was all over, but she could still see the angry welts where the knife had met his flesh.

Kev grinned. "It's Japanese, but it translates roughly to 'a demon marked for death' or 'a demon to be hunted down.'" His grin only grew in size as he lifted up part of his shirt. Right above his hip was another scar, also in kanji. "The Hunter." He said sadistically. "I think you'll make fun prey."

Gaara laughed, if you could call it that. It was a short, sarcastic bark. "If you think you can kill me, go ahead. My father tried, and then my uncle – guess you don't know _that _story. And look where they are -" he gestured around wildly. "Dead! Gone, no longer existing. Because of _me._ So if you want to take me on – _you will die to._"

Kev smirked. "I look forward to it," he said with relish. In response Gaara snarled, the he grabbed a hold of Skye's and Sai's hands and dragged them out of there. They had no choice but to follow.

Skye and Sai shared a glance. She might not be best friends with the boy, but anyone could figure out what he was silently saying. Skye knew that it was reflected on her own face.

_Oh, shit._


	18. Chapter 18

Blood pounded in Gaara's ears. _Demon, love, hate, hunter, prey, Father, Jinchuuriki, demon._ It all made sense now – everything was coming together, he finally _understood…_well, almost. There was _something, _something that he couldn't quite place, lurking just out of his reach, and it frustrated him like a toddler is frustrated when they can't communicate.

And like a toddler, when Gaara was frustrated he threw tantrums.

He stopped suddenly and turned to them. Skye was glaring at him, rubbing her wrists, and Sai was giving him a curious look.

"Do I scare you?" he asked flatly, baring his teeth. "What does _this,_" he shoved out his injured arm, "mean? And _what do you know about this!?"_ he directed the last question at Skye. He was breathing heavily. The cold air was encasing him, adding to his irritation, whispering promises and threats in his ears.

Sai cleared his throat. "You're intimidating," he said, "Or, that's what you want us to think."

Gaara nodded and turned his gaze to Skye. "Well?" he demanded.

She snorted. "If I was scared, would I be here?"

"I don't know," he sneered. "You tell me." He paused, waiting for them to answer.

He didn't have to wait long. "Well, I'm not," Skye was saying. "And like hell I know. This is all new to me, too. All I know is that Kev's a psychopathic, deranged, angst-ridden boy who needs a serious attitude adjustment."

"To answer your question about your arm," Sai said, "You might want to get that checked out. It looks like you might need stitches."

"I'm not going to a hospital," he said flatly. "You can't make me."

"We're not going to make you go to a hospital," Skye said, as if she was talking to a three-year-old.

"_Don't talk to me like that!" _Gaara grit out, pulling at his hair. It was how Yashamaru had spoken to him – and nearly everything that man said had been a lie.

Skye looked affronted, but before she could say anything, her phone rang. "Hold on a sec," she muttered, and took a few steps away.

Sai turned to Gaara. "You need to clean that, at least," he said. Quieter, he asked, "Does it hurt?"

"What?" What kind of question was that? Gaara glanced down at his arm – Yashamaru had been right about one thing – physical pain wasn't as bad as emotional pain – and something Gaara had realized on his own, emotional pain wasn't nearly as bad as confusion.

"Does your arm hurt?" Sai asked. Gaara shrugged. "It stings." He was an expert of physical pain. Gaara could tell that Sakura cut herself, and be that as that may be, but she didn't know what pain truly was. He had had contusions, broken bones, lacerations, incisions, scrapes, the whole nine yards. This was irritating, but not as bad as _some _stuff he had to endure.

_Unless it's because of me being a demon. _

He banished those thoughts. _Experiment, demon, love, hate, burning, fire, smoke, feet pounding on the pavement - _

Skye sauntered back. Sai straightened up. "What was that about?" he asked.

Skye smirked, then deadpanned, "A PMSing sister. Oh, and we're all late for therapy."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Looks like someone's later than Kakashi!" he joked as Kakashi's car pulled up, and was rewarded with Sakura smiling. "Looks like quite a few someones," she remarked.

"Yea, I wonder where they are," he said. "I mean, Gaara and Skye seemed okay earlier…" he trailed off. "Thanks for fixing me up, by the way. I owe you one." He grinned.

Sakura shrugged, her cheeks turning pink. "No problem." She looked like she was about to say more, but she stopped herself as Kakashi approached. "This all for tonight?" he said lightly.

Naruto shrugged. "I guess so."

Kakashi sighed. "Alright. Well, if they show up, they show up. C'mon, it's cold out here."

Once inside, Sakura felt the ball of anxiety in her stomach tighten. With everything that had been going on, yesterday seemed like ages ago, and she didn't know what Kakashi would say – if he would say anything. It was like how she felt before an important test: she knew what she knew, but it'd be so much better if she knew what she was getting into. A doctor had said it was a control thing; that _cutting _had been a control thing.

She knew what kind of 'thing' it was. _It's a forgetting thing._

"So," Kakashi clasped his hands together. "How was your day?"

Naruto almost laughed. "Pretty good," he said, leaning back comfortably. He elbowed Sakura. "Wouldn't you say?"

She half-smiled. "It was interesting."

"Is this about the fight down at the high school?" Kakashi asked, nocking an eyebrow.

Naruto gaped. "How did you know about that?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Coincidence. I was driving by and saw two boys really going at each other. You heard about it, then?"

Naruto swallowed. He had to be careful of what he was saying; therapists could pick apart and twist words (and sometimes, he thought, read minds) to know what you were not-saying, and they _always _knew when you were lying.

"Yea, Naruto, Skye and I caught the tail end of it – just a couple of juniors in some idiot fight," Sakura said smoothly. Naruto sighed in relief. _Way to go, Sakura! _

Kakashi _mhmed. _"Yea, I remember the fights I got into."

"Really? What were they like?" Naruto was intrigued; Kakashi seemed like the kind of guy to walk away from a fight without a scratch.

He also seemed like one of those people with no past, one of those people who were simply born at age twenty-five or something.

Kakashi smirked. "Intense. One time a nearly died – another time I was stupid."

"Stupid?" Sakura repeated. Naruto could practically feel the tension coming out of her. She had been all uptight before class, but now she seemed a little relaxed.

Kakashi nodded. "Ever hear of 'never bring a knife to a fist fight?'"

"All freakin' day," Naruto muttered.

"Well, it nearly took out my eye. It was also with my best friend." A smidge of nostalgia crept into his voice. "Well, my best-friend-to-be." His eyes drifted to the photograph hanging on the wall. Naruto followed his eyes. It was faded, of a boy maybe aged fifteen, with dark hair and eyes. Naruto was about to ask who it was, but Kakashi cleared his throat. "Moving right along," Kakashi muttered. "Today I have a question for you."

"Hm? What kind of question?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.

Kakashi shrugged. "Just a question," he said lightly. "Provide an old man such as myself with some insight of the teenage generation."

"Okay…" Sakura said hesitantly.

"Hit me with your best shot," Naruto said, grinning and leaning back. _What is this guy playing at?_

"Well, I was reading the newspaper, and an article caught my eye – it was about self-harm, and how some teenagers are treating it like the 'new thing.'" He paused. "Can you tell me what you think of that? Of cutting yourself?"

Sakura felt her stomach drop. _He thinks he's _so _sly, doesn't he?_

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye wasn't sure how the decision that they'd ditch therapy and go to Gaara's came about, but it did, and somehow they all wound up on his front porch.

Sai gave her a sidelong glance, and all she could do was shrug back and brace herself. She had told her sister that yes, she had walked all the way to therapy, and yes, Fey would be picking her up, so she couldn't go home. Sai seemed to be intrigued and went along, and Gaara…

Skye couldn't decide if Gaara looked like a lost, confused puppy or a murderous, rabid wolf.

He opened the door and headed right in. Sai and Skye followed him. The stairs were close to the front door, but his siblings must have heard them come in. "Gaara! I have to drive you to –" a blond girl, maybe a little younger than Terra, entered the room and cut herself off. She was followed by a brown-haired guy who looked a little older than Gaara. "Wait, what?" he said, staring at Sai and Skye.

Gaara ignored them and pounded right up the stairs, leaving the other two no choice but to follow him. Skye heard the girl say, "Was that _blood?" _

That was closely followed by the boy saying, "Was that a _girl?_"

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and followed Gaara into what she assumed was his room. It was plain, not messy like hers, with a dresser, a bed, a desk and a spin-chair. A backpack and a laptop were the only evidence that a teenage boy lived in it.

Gaara was standing awkwardly, scowling at the wall. This was _his _space, and it was being invaded. This was too personal for him.

Sai cleared his throat. "We should probably get that cleaned." He gestured to Gaara's arm. He turned to Skye. "Do you know how to clean something like that?"

Skye frowned. "Sakura used Neosporin on Naruto…but I'm not sure, it might be different with cuts like that…can you Google it?" too many things were running through her brain. _One thing at a time, Skye._

Sai gestured to the laptop. "Can I?"

Gaara wasn't sure how to answer, but he found himself nodding. He felt weird, like a weight was lodged in his chest, right where his solar plexus was. His stomach was in a knot and his head was _killing _him.

Sai sat down and powered up the computer. "You should probably clean it with peroxide first," he said.

Skye nodded. "Right…do you have it?"

Gaara nodded. "It's in the bathroom." He opened his nightstand drawer and pulled out a bottle of prescription pain relievers and swallowed two of them dry. "What?" he snapped when he saw them staring.

"You pop pills?" Sai asked simply.

"I get headaches," he said flatly.

"Right. Well, bathroom?" Skye said, arching an eyebrow.

Wordlessly, Gaara led her into his bathroom. The house was big – it had housed five or six people at one point. When his father left, Temari had moved into the master bedroom, which came with a bathroom; there were another two bathrooms, used by Gaara and Kankuro.

Unfortunately, the one used by Gaara contained only the necessities for hygiene: towels, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo.

"Hold on," he muttered, and went to retrieve what he needed from Temari's bathroom. There was an entire box devoted to medical stuff – he took it and placed it in front of Skye.

"Put your arm over the sink," she instructed. He did, and with a quick warning that 'this would sting' she poured peroxide over his arm.

Although he was used to being injured, Gaara wasn't used to being treated – not with anything that wasn't soap or water. So, the sharp stinging _coldness _of the peroxide came as a shock. He hissed, and Skye made some move that looked like covering up a flinch.

"Easy," she said softly. "It'll stop in a little bit."

Gaara blinked at her but said nothing.

She grabbed a towel and ran the water over his cuts, wiping away the blood, trying to forget who she was cleaning up. _He's lost. He's not Kev, he's _not _dad, and he's not going to hurt you._

"There. That should be alright," she said, washing her hands. "Let's see what Sai found."

"What do you have there?" Skye asked, drying her hands. Sai turned to them, apparently enjoying the swivel chair. "Clean it out, use Neosporin, wrap it or use Band-Aids – but you're going to need a tetanus shot."

Gaara tensed. "I'm _not _going to a hospital," he grit. Sai sighed. "Okay, fine; was the knife clean?"

"Erm," Skye plucked it out of her pocket and unsheathed it. Blood was drying on it, but it wasn't rusted. "It's new." She sheathed and pocketed it.

"Then you should be okay," he muttered. "Anyway. The site says Band-Aids, but," he glanced at Gaara's arm. "You might be better with gauze."

"Alright." Skye plucked the gauze and Neosporin from the box and gestured to his bed. "Sit."

Mechanically, Gaara sat. Skye knelt down and put the Neosporin on his arm. They were quiet, then Sai said, "Are you sure he doesn't need stitches?"

"Knowing Kev," Skye said evenly, "He made the wounds deep enough to hurt and scar, but not quite deep enough for medical attention. He's smarter than that, believe it or not."

All this hardly registered with Gaara. Skye was dabbing the Neosporin on the sensitive inside of his arm, making small circles to rub it in, and the movement was oddly soothing. She stopped a minute, and he was jerked out of his trance.

_Why are they here? Why are they doing this? Why are they_ helping _me? _It hurt his head trying to figure it out, so he figured he'd just ask them.

"Why are you here?" he said each word with careful enunciation, giving both of them a weighty look in turn. _If Skye is scared, then there is no possible reason for her to be here. And what could Sai be getting out of this? _

Skye blinked, and Sai said, "You're our friend, right? We're going to help you." He stated it so simply, like he was talking about the weather. Skye nodded. "Yea. And besides, you're arm's all messed up. We're not about to let you do something stupid."

Gaara 'hned' and sighed. Whatever had been lying in his stomach just multiplied, the weight becoming heavier. _Friends? What is friends? Is that what Naruto was talking about…?_

"You should change that daily," Sai said, reading off the website, "Same for the Neosporin. Leave it be once it scabs or the skin grows back, and if it looks infected, get medical attention." He sat back. "Nothing else, really."

Skye found the gauze and began wrapping his arm. He flinched from the touch. Skye blinked; _He's been fine up to this point…_she gave him a look, and he put his arm back out. "Will it hurt?" he asked, for all the world sounding like an overgrown, defensive seven-year-old.

"What do you mean?" she asked. _So he's okay with being cut by a knife and nearly strangled, but not with me bandaging his arm? WTF?! _

"After you put the ointment on, my chest got all tight," he said, sounding confused, "And my stomach feels heavy and it _hurts, _almost as much as getting cut."

Skye shook her head. "It – it's not _supposed to _hurt," she said.

"You might have busted your ribs," Sai added thoughtfully. "Like Naruto."

Gaara shook his head. "He didn't hit me in the side."

Skye shrugged. "Probably a bruise from when Kev pinned you. Now, May I?" she gestured to his arm.

Gaara thrust out his arm, and Skye gripped his wrist lightly and began wrapping it.

"We have to tell Naruto," Sai said through the silence.

Skye sighed. She had tried to avoid thinking about it, but it was still eating at the back of her brain. "I know. But how? And – this entire thing – people we knew were involved. It's – "she cut herself off, not knowing what to say. "I knew Kev was a little out there and all, but I didn't think that he was, well, you know." She bit her lip.

"Do you think Naruto might know anything?" Sai asked. Skye shrugged and looked up at Gaara. His face was impassive, but his eyes were troubled. "Do _you _know anything?" she asked him quietly.

He inhaled sharply, and looked like he was going to stay something, but he shook his head sharply.

Skye frowned. "Right…well…we'll tell Naruto, and go from there. It's been a long night." That, she knew, was a massive understatement. The boys murmured their consent.

A heavy silence ensued.

She finished wrapping his arm. "Better?" she asked rhetorically. Still, he nodded, looking like he wanted to say something. She waited, but nothing came.

Skye stood. She was surprised when she noticed that she felt surprisingly at ease, considering, well, everything. She glanced at the clock. "Time for me to head home."

Sai nodded with her. "Yea. If I get back after curfew, shit goes down." He added, "I'll walk you. It's dark. Girls shouldn't walk home alone in the dark."

Skye refrained from making a comment.

Not knowing why, but not knowing why _not,_ Gaara said, "I'm coming."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, some people, I guess, are going to be doing it for no reason, but a lot of people have like, a reason. Or something." God, this was awkward.

Kakashi nodded. "Sakura?"

"…erm….well, I guess you'd have to hate yourself pretty much to do that." She was having trouble swallowing around the lump in her throat. _Breathe, just breathe._

"What makes you say that?" he prodded.

"Well, you're hurting yourself." She said. _There you go, give him the answers he wants to hear. _

Kakashi made a noncommittal noise. "Here's another question: why would you hate yourself?"

Naruto grinned ruefully. "The one day Gaara isn't here, eh? Well, sometimes, people do some pretty bad things."

Sakura was nodding timidly. "And sometimes you can't help it." It came out as a whisper.

"Can't help what?" Kakashi asked gently.

"Wanting to hurt yourself," it was a strangled sound, as if she had been fighting to hold it inside.

_Dammit! Way to go, Sakura. Now they know you're a freak. _

"You shouldn't, though," Naruto said, thoughtfully. "I mean, you should love yourself and who you are. Right?"

"I guess," she muttered. "But what if it helps? Like helps you cope or something?"

"Didn't Dr. Suess say something like, 'Be yourself, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind?'" Kakashi said simply. "And there are other coping methods."

He knew what he was doing. It was obscure technique of his, to slyly get them talking. He knew what Sakura was saying and not-saying: that she hated herself for what had happened, how she couldn't help but want to cut whenever she thought of it, that it helped her forget.

Naruto was troubled; he simply couldn't relate to this. It was a mindset that he simply didn't possess. "I don't know why someone would do that," he said quietly. "I mean…to hate yourself that much…" he was frowning. "Something really bad must have happened."

Sakura felt her stomach plunging. She flinched. "That's what makes you different," she said before she could control herself.

"What?" he turned to her and blinked.

"You – you're so positive." She shrugged. "Like, I'd bet the idea of self-harm is miles away from your psyche."

"…Did you just call me stupid?"

She shook her head. "Never mind," she muttered. "It's nothing."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Naruto, to an extent, you're right. From what you two have told me, it takes something really sever to drive someone to self-harm; but we're running late, so I'll see you guys next week." He stood up and watched them leave.

His initial profiling still held true; Naruto was a minimal-worry student, and Sakura was craving interaction. He glanced at the photo one last time before turning off the lights and locking up.


	19. Chapter 19

Skye walked into the lunchroom, her stomach so tight that she knew she wouldn't be able to eat. _I'll just make sure that they'll meet me after school today and then go up to the art room. _

It was the perfect plan, in her opinion.

Last night she, Gaara, and Sai had decided that it was the best bet for all three of them to explain it to Naruto; Sai had said that Sakura should know as well, as 'they were all friends and shouldn't keep secrets.' Gaara hadn't said anything to that, and Skye didn't argue.

She walked up to them – Naruto and Sakura were at their usual lunch table, doing that awkward not-flirting thing that they always seemed to do.

"Hey," she said. She cleared her throat. "I gotta run now, but can you guys meet me after class? Just up in the art room – Sakura knows where it is."

Naruto grinned and tilted his head. "Okay! Works for me!"

Sakura nodded. "I'll see you," she said.

Skye flashed a grin and went upstairs. Her stomach was contorting itself into knots, and she felt sick. She tugged her sleeves down over her hands as she walked into the art room, set her bag down, and took out her sketchbook.

She liked the art room – it calmed her, let her creative juices flow. The teacher was really laid-back and didn't really care that Skye spent the majority of her lunches there – hell, the teacher didn't care if _anyone _was in the art room, as long as they weren't bugging anybody.

Skye didn't think that she'd be able to do anything, but once the pencil was in her hand, she began sketching furiously.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura led Naruto up to the art room. Unlike last time, it was almost empty – the same blond boy was there, working on a painting, but other than him and Skye it was abandoned.

Skye motioned to the table of desks shoved against each other. "Sit, sit. They're coming."

Sakura and Naruto sat. "Skye? What's this about?" she asked. The sinking feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away, and she didn't like it.

Skye didn't do or say anything comforting, just, "I'll tell you when they're here."

Naruto, however, seemed oblivious. "Hey, what are you painting?" he wandered over to Kyon. The other boy looked up and resembled a deer caught in head lights. Sakura cast a glance at Skye, but the other girl was looking down, iPod in, and headphones – not ear buds, but actual _headphones _– on.

_There's no way she's going to hear anything._

Sakura, feeling awkward, stood up and walked over to them. Kyon was talking, and Naruto was nodding and asking questions. The boy looked less like a scared deer and more at ease, Sakura noted.

_Naruto truly is something else._

"It's not finished…" Kyon said. Naruto was nodding. Sakura saw it and was impressed – it was a cityscape, with a river in the foreground and the actual city in the background. "You're really good," she said. Kyon grinned nervously. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Hey," Sai was behind them. He gestured to the table where Skye and Gaara were. "We're here." Sakura nodded. To Kyon, he said, "That's coming along nicely, but it'd be better if you lightened your highlights. Trust me." He smiled, and herded Naruto and Sakura back to Skye.

"Okay, so what's going on?" Sakura asked. The ball of anxiety tightened in her stomach, and the look on Skye's face wasn't helping. Well, neither was Gaara's, but he always looked murderous.

Skye exhaled, and said, "The reason we weren't at therapy was because Gaara ran into Kev."

Naruto frowned. "Who?"

"The guy with the blue hair," Sai supplied. "Who fights like a little girl."

Skye nodded. "Yea. Him. Well…we – erm…see, it kinda escalated."

Sakura swallowed. "Skye. How much did it escalate?"

"Kev start saying stuff – crazy stuff…but well, erm," Skye shrugged and looked down.

_Skye's at lost for words. This can't be good. _

"He was telling the truth," Gaara said. He was leaning against the desk, arms crossed, glaring at the ground. "What Kev said. Most of it was true." He subconsciously touched the mark on his forehead.

Sakura bit her lip. _This is bad. Really bad._

Naruto, apparently, was picking up the same vibe. "Guys? What was he saying?" he had an uncharacteristically serious expression, all traces of his usual grin gone.

Skye inhaled sharply. "Naruto, some – ah, let's say twenty years ago, there was this experiment going on, to try and see if these solutions would make humans stronger, smarter, faster, and so on. The experiment – I don't know, I guess it lost funding or wasn't being sponsored or whatever – was under control of a select group – again, I'm not sure who…I just know that Gaara's, Kev's and my father were all involved…and so was your uncle. It was called Jinchi- Junchurri -"

"Jinchuuriki," Sai corrected.

"…okay…" Skye had Naruto's undivided attention. She took this as a cue to go on. "Well, there were eighteen test experiments, to see the differences between the solutions – "

"Basically, there were eighteen subjects. Each was given the experiment at a different time- before and after birth," Sai explained. "Used for comparison, I presume to see how the solution worked. There were nine different solutions – one solution used on the unborn, another used on an infant."

"That's technically an unstable experiment," Sakura found herself saying, drawing some comfort from the familiar scientific jargon. "Because you have two independent variables – I think. Well, sort of. Because the time of birth is dependent, but you have all these different solutions administered at different times of birth…"

Sai nodded. "Kyon was saying something like that."

"Kyon?" Naruto asked. The voice was so flat that Sakura did a double-take to make sure that it was Naruto who was talking.

Skye nodded. "He was there…remember the pierced blond kid?" She inclined her head in Kyon's general direction. "Blondie over there?"

Naruto followed her gaze and nodded. "Skye, where are you going with this? Am I – am I one of the experiments?" his words came out as a strangled whisper.

Sakura blinked. For someone so dense, Naruto had come to that conclusion pretty quickly. She was thinking along those lines, but surely not – what kind of sicko would _do _that?

Then again, what kind of sicko would sexually abuse his daughter?

"Yea." The affirmation came from Gaara. The other boy gestured to the marks on Naruto's cheeks. "But essentially the effects of the solution you were given had no effect on you – see the scars? You were marked as defective and not given a second glance."

"What? I mean – how do you…what did they…" Naruto couldn't find the words to ask, but Skye seemed to understand what he meant.

"They could only use boys – see, apparently after the injection was given to you, you lived as a normal kid till age six – until they met up. I guess each experiment was marked then," Skye said.

"And each pair was marked," Gaara added. "Those who hadn't died, anyway." He lifted the forelock over his left eyebrow, and there, what Sakura had previously assumed was a tattoo, was a scar. "As opposites." He gave a bitter, cold, chuckle. "You came out lucky. The opposites have to destroy one another to determine their rank or success – according to Kev."

Sakura bit her lip and glanced over at Naruto. He was staring intently at the desk.

Skye cleared her throat and continued, "Then some incident or another alerted the cops, but they couldn't find a whole lot of information, I guess, because not everybody was arrested – "

"Most of the evidence was destroyed in a fire," Gaara said darkly. Everyone decided that it was better to not ask how he knew.

"Yea. Your uncle got away, and so did my father, but they were – ah, arrested for other reasons later." Skye cleared her throat. "We – we just thought you should know."

Naruto was staring at his hands as if they held the answer to the universe. "Thanks," he said, quietly. "I – I'm gonna go. Got a lot to think about, right?" he tried to grin, but only succeeded in twitching the corners of his mouth. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Naruto," Sakura said. She was going to do something comforting, like place her hand on his shoulder or offer a smile, but she could hardly even speak those two words. Naruto gave her a nod of acknowledgement before leaving.

Sakura watched him go.

_Naruto…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto gathered his books and made his way out of school like a robot, but as soon as he was outside, he ran.

He had thought that it was a freak accident, that he had buried all these unwanted memories, but everything seemed to fit into place now.

He didn't know what to do with himself, so he ran, backpack and all, the entire way home. He almost wished that some thug would cross his path, just so he could beat the shit out of them.

He stormed inside and slammed the door behind him.

_Iruka has a shitload of explaining to do._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gaara had left the art room silently, while Sai asked Skye something about Naruto, Skye replied with an "I don't know."

He walked outside, to where Temari was waiting for him in the car. He got into the back silently, staring at his hands. Seeing Naruto that upset…it disturbed him, and he didn't know why. Hell, everything about this disturbed him.

Naruto wasn't 'upset.' Naruto was loud and hyper and happy and stuff like that. Not angry or depressed or _quiet._

"Gaara?" Temari said, glancing in her rearview mirror. "I have to go out tonight. Kankuro's going to order out."

Gaara _hned. _The basic translation of that was: I have to get out so I don't murder my siblings, don't destroy Kankuro or the house, eat if it pleases you.

"And – " she continued speaking, but Gaara tuned her out. _What's with Uzumaki? Does this mean a lot to him? That his uncle made him that way? _

"What does 'Jinchuuriki' mean to you?" he said suddenly, staring at her face through the mirror.

_Both _of her eyebrows shot up – that meant surprise. "I don't know," she said, slowly. "It sound's Japanese. Is it a restaurant?" There was nothing on her face to indicate that she knew anything, or was lying.

Scowling, Gaara turned his gaze back to the window. "Never mind."

They drove home in silence, save for Temari's rather colorful language when some idiot in a sports car decided to cut her off.

_Maybe _she _belongs in therapy,_ Gaara mused dryly.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Gaara wanted to strangle his brother. His music was too fucking loud, his shouts were annoying, hell, his _presence _was irritating Gaara.

"Turn it down," Gaara demanded. Kankuro hardly heard him – he was playing some form of Xbox or something, with these huge headphones on and his music simultaneously blaring.

Gaara stood up, causing Kankuro to yell; somehow the cords had ended up in Gaara's lap, and when he stood, the Xbox was unplugged.

"Hey!" Kankuro cried indignantly. "What the hell?"

Gaara spared him a disgusted look. "I stood up."

Glaring, Kankuro stood. "No shit, Sherlock." He was taller than Gaara by maybe three inches, but he felt shorter – annoying as he was, Gaara was still intimidating.

_But that's what he wants, _Kankuro reminded himself. "Listen, shithead," he said, "I don't know _what _your problem is, but you need to fucking get over yourself."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Nothing," he growled, "Is _wrong _with me."

Kankuro snorted. "Really? _Nothing's wrong with you?_" he didn't know why he was saying all this now, but it felt good. "That's probably the biggest fucking lie I've ever heard."

Gaara shoved his brother, hard. "Shut up." He said, because he was Gaara and he didn't talk much.

Kankuro stumbled, but caught himself. "Right," he said, than did something Gaara never would have expected – he made for Gaara's arm and shoved up the sleeve of his hoodie. (Gaara had taken to wearing it since the fight.) His bad arm was exposed, angry raised cuts that would surely scar.

"See? If that's not proof that something's wrong with you, I don't know what is." Kankuro took a step back. Gaara snatched his arm away, and the same feeling he had felt yesterday – that tugging in his gut and chest – was back.

He hated it.

In one smooth, quick motion, Kankuro was on the floor with a soon-to-be-bruised jaw and Gaara was up in his room, door locked.


	20. Chapter 20

Naruto sat at the table, poking at his food but not eating. Iruka looked at him and a line formed between the man's eyebrows. "You're awfully quiet," he remarked. Usually Naruto was going off about, "Sakura this," or "Gaara that," or, "I can't believe x, y and z." He even went off about a rant on _coffee _at one point.

The boy looked up at him, and Irkua nearly winced at the look he was given. Instead he arched his eyebrows in question.

Naruto started at him with the same look for a few seconds, then finally said, "What does Jinchuuriki mean to you?" He studied Iruka, waiting for his reaction, trying his best to judge the man's movements.

Iruka set down his fork and stared long and hard at Naruto, not glaring but simply observing. "Where did you hear that term, Naruto?"

"Someone called me it," he said a little darkly. Iruka folded his hands under his chin. "Naruto," he said, "What – "

"Stop!" Naruto slammed his fork down with surprising force. "Don't – lie – to – me. _Tell me what it means!"_

"Naruto, I don't know where you heard that word, and I don't know what you know, but I promise you that whatever it means, it's behind you," Irkua said steadily. He didn't know what Naruto knew, who had told him. "It was your uncle, when you were a child – "

"_That man fucking murdered my parents!" _Naruto hissed. "And made me – _what did he do to me?" _

Iruka was taken aback. He knew that if provoked, Naruto could have quite the temper – but it was mostly just an explosion, then he was back to normal. Nothing…nothing like _this._

"Your parents? How did you come up with that?" Iruka asked. _And where the hell is he getting this information from?! _

"He needed a kid, didn't he? To inject some sort of thing into – and he didn't have one. Funny how _my parents die _in a fire but_ I don't _and that _he's _the one who gets custody." Naruto growled. He was practically hyperventilating now, glaring at Iruka.

The man, however, was astounded at Naruto's ability to put two and two together. He coughed, and said, "That's right, Naruto. That's what most of us think."

He immediately winced after his words and prayed to every single deity out there that Naruto wouldn't pick up on it.

Unfortunately, the gods weren't favoring him. "_You KNEW?" _

"I heard some rumors, yes, and the police reports – " but the irate teenager cut him off.

"You were involved too, huh? Heh, seems like everybody was. Lemme guess, you're monitoring me to make sure I don't exhibit odd behavior or something, right? Like my goddamn uncle. And I'll bet that there's a not-failed, better version of me out there, who _has to kill me. _Am I right?" He slammed his hands down on the table. "_Well? Am I right!?" _

"Naruto, calm down! I was informed as your guardian and I was one of the officers working on the case! I _was _in the police force before becoming a teacher. You're still human – _all of you._ You met another one, didn't you? Look, the case is considered closed, because almost every single person involved was tried in court and arrested – "

"_But you didn't tell me!" _Naruto screamed. "I don't give two shits either way about _what the fuck I am, _even thought it'd be _nice _to _know _what the hell's inside me! God-fucking-_dammit,_ Iruka, _my friend is being hunted down because of this!" _he stood, so fast that that his chair almost toppled over. When it didn't, he kicked it so it was down.

Iruka stood, too, trying to maintain the face of calm. "Who? Naruto, this is all in your past – no one holds it against you, your uncle is imprisoned, I – I'm sorry," he finished lamely. He had planned on telling Naruto, someday. He didn't want the truth to come out like this. "Naruto!"

But Naruto wasn't listening. With one last withering look over his shoulder, he practically flew out the door and slammed it behind him. Iruka had _lied _to him. Maybe not a true lie, but he hadn't _said _anything, which was the same thing in Naruto's eyes.

He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. He didn't know if Iruka would follow him, or what the hell that man would do.

All he knew was that he needed to run.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alone and smoldering in his room, Gaara didn't know what to do with himself. Kankuro might've been annoying as hell, but at least the white noise had prevented Gaara from thinking about Kev and Naruto and what Kev had said.

But now…

Gaara sat down heavily on his bed and cradled his head in his hands, eyes squeezed shut like he did when he was five and the dark was scary.

He almost laughed at the memories.

Almost.

From some unknown source, anger surged through him. At the world, at his father, at Temari and Kanuro for sticking around and Kev for making him _remember, _at Naruto for making him like…

_Like what? _

But somewhere deep in his mind, something told him that no, it wasn't Naruto who had made him like this. _Naruto didn't do this to me. _

In a frenzy, Gaara opened his window and jumped outside. December's cold had fully settled in, but it did nothing to cool or calm him. If anything, it fueled the spark that would light the proverbial fire.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye was laying down on her bed, eyes closed and music blaring. Her sister was asleep, or at least Skye thought so. They had barely exchanged five words since Thursday, and Skye didn't plan on saying any more.

Thoughts of Naruto and Gaara and Kev and Rynn and her father were plaguing her mind, even with the (specifically chosen) heavy metal at deafening volumes. Maybe that one therapist was right, and there really _was _no escaping your mind.

_Tap._

She sat up and blinked. She lowered her music and listened. There it was again – not really a tap, but more like something being _thrown against her window. _

_I swear to Indigo if it's Rynn trying to be funny…_she doubted the possibility of that, but she was _not _in the mood.

She stood up and lifted the shade over her window. Nothing was out there, just the tree that was a few yards away, the nearest branch rather close to her window.

_Probably a stupid bird or something. _

She jumped when a small rock was thrown at her face – but instead of hitting her it collided with her window and fell.

She squinted and _holy crap there was something in the tree. _It was hunched over and cloaked in shadow. Almost immediately her overactive imagination sprang into action, thinking that it was Gollum or Sméagol or a goblin or a soulstealer or perhaps it was just Dobby coming to tell her that she shouldn't go to Hogwarts this year.

But the figure moved into the light and she saw brick-red hair and eyes rimmed with black – Gaara. He was perched on a branch that could easily lead to her window – she had often used it as opposed to the door.

_So Gollum it is,_ she thought dryly as she opened her window. "What is it?" she asked, crossing her arms and stepping back against the cold. Gaara swung himself onto the window ledge and ducked through the window into her room.

Skye took another step back. "Gaara? Is it your arm?"

Gaara shook his head and turned to her. "Why am I like this?"

Skye blinked. "Er…like what?" _What is he talking about? _

Gaara gestured around. "You, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai are all different from me."

"Well, yea, I mean, we're different people…what do you mean?" Skye tugged the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands, suddenly glad that she had decided to wear it. She felt strangely exposed, even though she was fully clothed. Probably because Gaara's presence was making the room seen smaller and he was head and shoulders taller than her.

It was a little intimidating. (More than a little, but Skye refused to admit it to herself.)

"You're all so – "he cut himself off and frowned, searching for the right word. "So _different._" He seemed dissatisfied with the taste of the words. _"_Why?" he demanded, taking a step forward. Skye took an involuntary step back.

Gaara didn't seem to notice. "What makes me _me_?" he said, pacing. "And why was Naruto so upset? Why did my father do this to me –" again he cut himself off as if someone had slammed a hand over his mouth.

"_Why did he make me like this!" _

"Shh!" Skye hissed, then, quieter, "Who?" Gaara looked so…she couldn't describe it. _Lost. _But now, he looked murderous.

The thought made her swallow. _Maybe the whole Gollum – Sméagol thing was more accurate than I thought. _

"Why? Why did he make me like this? What does it mean to be me? Why am I here?" Gaara was talking to himself, his voice growing in volume. "Why do I exist? _Why are you staring at me?" _The last question was directed at Skye.

She narrowed her eyes. Intimidating or not, she was affronted. "Because you're talking to yourself and pacing. Not to mention the fact that you climb into my window at –" she glanced at the clock – "Nearly ten thirty at night. That merits reason to stare."

Gaara glared at her. "You have all the answers, don't you." It wasn't a question.

"You have no idea," she muttered. That had been the one thing her parents could agree on.

"Then answer me!" he growled. "He made me like this, so what does that make me?" He frowned and looked at Skye, searching for answers, and Skye could see his eyes – light and cyan, they reminded her of Ren's when he was begging, or when he was a puppy or was sick and didn't know what was going on. True 'puppy' eyes – not 'trying to be cute' but the other kind; the kind that can make _anyone's _heart go out.

"Calm down, okay?" Skye said, exhaling sharply. "Look. My sister's asleep, and she'll freak if she finds you in here. Wait for me outside, I'll be down in five minutes. You can…tell me what's going on, okay?"

They stood there for a moment, regarding each other; Gaara almost frantic, and Skye still as a statue. Then, Gaara said, "Do you promise?"

Skye blinked, and though she felt like a kindergartener again, she also knew that in Gaara's eyes, it held the weight of the world.

"I promise," she said. He nodded and slipped back out the window in one fluid motion, leaving Skye alone with the cold winter air.


	21. Chapter 21

Sakura stared down at her hands. They were shaking. She was breathing heavily, her head hurt, and a razor stuffed underneath her mattress was becoming all-too-tempting.

_No. _She tried to get a hold of herself. She hadn't cut in _months, _and had no intention of starting now. But an anxiety attack was coming on, everyone else was downstairs, her stomach hurt and Naruto had acted all strange –

_Everything's so messed up, _she thought, _it's not fair! _

No, it wasn't, but life wasn't fair. At least, that's what her mother had said.

Sakura felt like screaming. On the inside, she was. But on the outside…

She did scream. Everything inside her was bottled up too tightly, like champagne or a soda can that was shaken one too many times.

Had her music been off, or her door opened, or the TV downstairs lowered, someone would have heard Sakura – but as it was, her music was up as high as it could go, her door was locked, and the TV downstairs was on loud.

Her scream was virtually silent.

She drew her knees to her chest. She was sitting on the floor of her room, leaning against her bed, trying to grasp hold of everything. It was times when she felt like this – rock bottom, defeated, useless, weak, _scared – _when the razor had been a help.

_Biting into soft skin, red against white, forget, forget, forget – NO! _

"NO!" she shouted. _I won't do that again, I won't! I need to – I need to – _

Tears were flowing from her eyes, fast and thick. A lump formed in her throat and she felt like she was either going to explode from _everything _or wither away from the sheer amount of nothingness inside her.

She didn't know what happened, but somehow, someway, both her cell phone and a razor were in her hands. _NO! _This was what she wanted to _escape from, _this dependency, this this – _helplessness. _

She needed to go, she needed to get rid of the metal, she needed to _let it bite into her wrist and forget everything – NO! _Somehow, when thinking this, one lucid, safe thought popped into her head.

_I need to call Naruto. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye spent the first four of the five minutes she allotted herself slumped against her bed, wondering exactly what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

_He's insane. Crazy. Freakin' _scary as hell _when he's mad. Then _why _did I just agree to that?! _

But Gaara had looked so…so _innocent. _And way lost, and a little young. _Like a little kid who lost his mommy or something…ugh… _she massaged her temples. _This is so confusing! _

She stood up and turned off the music. _Now or never. I can't leave him out there. _She'd hate herself if she did that. And maybe, that one little side of her was curious.

Bringing Mace couldn't hurt, though.

She slipped on her jacket, grabbed a can of the pepper spray, and headed downstairs quietly. She didn't want to wake Terra up and have to explain that, "Yea, I'm just going on a walk to help a kid I know get through a mental breakdown. Not to mention that said kid is highly unstable and prone to fighting."

Yea, cause _that _would go over well.

Skye grabbed Ren's leash and called him quietly. The dog appeared, nails clicking on the hardware floor. When he saw Skye with the leash, his tail began wagging. She clipped on the leash and opened the door, locking it behind her. _If Ren likes him, then he can't be _all _bad. _It was idealistic, trusting her dog's judgment, but it nonetheless made her feel better.

Gaara was waiting for her just off to the side, closer to the tree than the door. Almost immediately, Ren went up to Gaara and sniffed him, then stood on his back legs and placed his forepaws on the boy's chest. Gaara looked confused, so she tugged on Ren's leash. The dog was at her side in an instant. "Sorry," she said, "He wanted out." A half-lie, yes, but Ren's presence could calm _anything – _at the very least her frayed nerves.

Instead, Gaara said, "You came." He sounded as if he hadn't expected her to come.

It was heartbreaking.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Skye countered, gesturing for him to come with her. He fell in step beside her, but he kept his distance.

They walked in silence, the only noise the clicking of Ren's nails against the sidewalk and their footsteps. It was a clear night, the moon was almost full and the stars were out. Skye looked up to admire it all, wondering how exactly she should start the conversation. "So," she began. "You had a lot of questions."

"So?" he said defensively.

Skye shrugged. "Just a speculation…you seem…" she must've seen something on his face, because she stopped herself. "Hold on," she muttered, "We'll be there soon."

_Where? _Gaara asked himself, but he couldn't voice anything – he didn't know why. He felt empty and full at the same time, like something was tearing things apart inside him and devouring it. Nonetheless, he walked with Skye and he dog to the playground – the same place where everything began.

She let the dog off his leash and headed straight for the swings, gesturing for Gaara to follow her. The dog wandered off, sniffing and occasionally rolling in the grass.

There were two swings. Skye took one and waited till Gaara took the other. When he did, she took a breath and said, "What's wrong?" She inwardly braced herself for – well, she didn't know what exactly, just an unexpected reaction.

Instead, he began demanding answers. "Why was Naruto upset?"

This question was one of the easier ones lurking on the edges of Gaara's mind. He didn't understand it – Naruto wasn't _upset. _Naruto was loud-too-loud and happiness if Gaara ever saw it.

Skye shrugged. "The Jinchuuriki thing...it's a shock to anyone…I guess he's just handling it differently than you are."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth when Gaara asked his next question: "Why is the dog off the leash?"

Skye's eyes subconsciously flickered over to Ren. "Ren? I guess I trust him enough to not run away, and he likes me enough to stick around." A smirk that didn't quite fit the situation crossed her mouth.

"But you don't trust me," he growled, and in one quick motion he had somehow managed to pluck the can of Mace out of her jacket pocket. He felt its heft in his hands and stared at the bottle. "Pepper spray."

Again, she shrugged, although on the inside, Skye panicked a little. "Hey, I walk a lot at night and I'm a teenage girl – and my height isn't exactly helping me out." She had half-forgotten that the Mace was there, and mentally high-fived herself for keeping her cool.

He frowned. "You have all the answers, huh?" Skye couldn't tell if it was a jibe or an attempt at black humor, so she pointedly ignored the statement and waited for him to speak again. The night was quiet, surreal, and she loved it. The sky was clear, and the stars- holy Indigo. She craned her head to look up at them while she waited for the boy to speak. She felt his eyes on her and she tensed but didn't move.

Gaara was watching Skye, trying to judge her body language – he could smell a lie a mile away. Finally, after all that, he _thought _that he had what he wanted to say, to ask, to desperately get answers for but something was holding him back and _he didn't know what. _He dropped the pepper spray to the ground.

He was thinking, hard, his brain going around in circles with everything. His hands were shaking, he realized, and his gut had that odd feeling, the one with the weight that made him want to lie down and never get up. "My hands are shaking," he found himself saying, "That means I'm scared. Right?"

Skye turned to look back at him. "Uh, I guess. Sometimes it means you're stressed or worried about something. Or you're tired." She blinked, her irises looking black in the shadows. "So something's on your mind. Heh, I could've guessed that." Her last words had a sarcastic spin.

"Are we friends?" he demanded, and Skye swore that for a second there, he looked like a petulant kid. "Naruto says we are, but you don't act – I don't know – are we?" Gaara was finding it hard to articulate, and the entire situation confused him. Naruto had talked about relationships with other people, siblings and friends, but Gaara didn't know what '_friends' _even was.

_That_, he could tell, threw her off guard. She muttered something incoherent that sounded strangely like '_social awkwardism'_, then said quickly, "Do you _want _to be?"

Now it was Gaara's turn to be put on the spot. Instead of answering, he said, "My father did this to me. But I don't know what makes me different. Does that make sense?" his voice cracked on the last word and he looked at Skye, right in the eyes. She tugged her sleeves over her hands and said, "In a way…I guess. What do you mean? What happened that er…you know."

He shifted his position and said, "You know the gist of it. But later…" he lifted up the hair that fell across his brow. "He carved _this _into me. And then – then – " he was breathing heavier now as he remembered. "And then I was running and there was fire and blood and shouting and it hurts it _hurts and why am I like this?" _

He fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands, swing abandoned. _Oh crap,_ Skye thought. _He's cracked. _

The sarcastic part of her chimed, _Ask yourself: are you surprised?_

No, she most certainly was not.

"And he said," Gaara continued in the same raspy voice, "That he'd come back and _kill me_! And that I'd never – Yashamaru – love – what is it? And – Kev – he wants to – and Uzumaki with reasons and purposes and _what the hell is wrong with me?!_"

Acting purely on instinct, Skye knelt down next to him. All her apprehension was gone – here, at the foot of the old swing set, they were children. Nothing mattered, nothing too deep and yet…yet they saw the world with eyes that could penetrate souls. Here, with only the stars as their witness, all their walls came crashing down.

This was unknown to the two teenagers, however. But, try as she might, Skye never would recall what had prompted her to reach out her arm and place a comforting hand on Gaara's shoulder, and Gaara would never know what made him relax at the touch.

"I don't know anything anymore," he rasped, staring at the ground.

"None of us do anymore," she said, and to Gaara Skye looked jaded, weary, and oddly adult. "It's called growing up."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	22. Chapter 22

Naruto stopped six blocks from his house, outside some kind of bar or another. He was breathing heavily and just coming to a stop as everything caught up to him.

_Dammit…_

"DAMMIT!" he roared. It changed nothing: Cars continued to whiz by, people continued their standard Friday night routine, walking, talking, ignoring the screams of the broken. Naruto turned and punched the brick wall behind him, cursing when a jolt of pain ran up his arm. It extended to his ribs and he groaned – running and hitting walls definitely wasn't helping him there. Defeated, he sunk down against the wall.

_I've really done it this time. _

He let out a breath of air he hadn't known he'd been holding. _Fuck it. Fuck Iruka, fuck the world, fuck everyone. _He shut his eyes and his hand instinctively went to his pocket where he usually kept his iPod. It was empty, save for his wallet.

He let out a noise somewhere between a snarl and a cow giving birth.

Just then, one of the bartenders stalked out, holding two kids by their shirt collars. "Next time at least have the dignity to get half decent fake IDs," he said coolly, before banging their heads together and letting go of them. Naruto watched it silently – he recognized one of the guys as Jugo, one of Sasuke's groupies, and the other as Sasuke, wannabe getup and all.

Naruto stood, ready to attack the other boy if only for the purpose of venting out his frustration, ribs still aching or otherwise.

The man turned around and caught sight of Naruto. "You want the same treatment, kid?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Not unless you wanna give me a bottle of painkillers, too," he muttered, scowling, fully realizing how lame that sounded. The man crossed his arms and they stood there, glaring, sizing each other up.

The man was tall with long white hair in a ponytail that nearly reached his ankles. He looked vaguely familiar to Naruto, and was probably in his fifties or late forties.

"You know, I'd prefer it if you didn't go around hitting the wall," the man said at last. "_Someone _has to clean your dried blood up, after all."

"Fuck off," Naruto said, slumping back against the wall.

The man paused. He recognized the boy from that day he subbed at the high school. _What was his name? Nara – Naruto. Wait, don't tell me he's Minato's kid! _ He hadn't paid attention that day, instead opting to work on his book, but now there was no doubt in his mind.

The man sighed and sat next to Naruto. "You know," he began, "You seem to have a lot on your mind for someone so young."

"You ask a lot of questions for someone so old," Naruto countered, but his heart wasn't really into it.

The man shrugged. "It's a sign of intelligence, brat," he said, not without affection. "So tell you what. Why don't you come on in and tell me your story?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "And why would _you _care?" _Like I can tell him anything…ugh…_

"I'm a bartender. It's what I do."

After a minute, Naruto caved. "Fine. But drinks are on _you._"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gaara tensed as memories came flooding back.

His father. The scornful looks, how _feared _people acted around him. How the other children always avoided him. The way his father talked to others, compared to when he talked to Gaara. How many times he was hit, and the one time….

_Running, running, if I can be faster like Kankuro or hide like Temari this wouldn't be so hard. I want to stop but I can't, cause if I do then _they'll _catch me. And if they catch me then the dogs will get me. And if the dogs get me it will hurt, but I can't fight back because if I hurt the dogs _he'll _hurt me more…what did I do wrong this time? Mommy left because of me, and he said that Temari and Kakuro will leave too but he has to stay because I've been bad…_

"He made me like this." Gaara said in a strangled whisper.

"He…you're father?" but he hardly heard Skye.

"_He made me like this!" _he was giddy now, with adrenaline and anger and something else. "He made me like this because there's something wrong with me!" He had failed, somehow, and that was why his father did all that to him! It made sense, finally!

Skye jerked her hand back as if it had been burned. The surrealistic mood of five minutes ago was gone, replaced by questions and tension and something else. "What's wrong with – "

"I killed my mother and hurt my siblings and because of me everything's wrong and I'm missing something and that's why he did this to me!" he concluded, grasping fistfuls of frosty, damp grass. Everything was coming out now, things that made sense, things that he was able to piece together.

Skye took a breath. This was about as much emotion she'd ever gotten from Gaara, and all in less than an hour. "Okay," she said, calmly, trying to find a place to start. "Well…Gaara, from what I understand, your father," she paused, then decided not to sugarcoat it. "He was an asshole. Maybe you did nothing wrong, and he made you like that because – "

"Why?" Gaara demanded, turning to her. He shifted, eyes penetrating. "Why did he make me like this? Why am I like this? Why – "he cut himself off and started at her, waiting for an answer.

She swallowed and said gently, "Your father did this to you, and _that's _what's wrong with you."

"And what does that mean?" he growled.

She shrugged. "It means that it's not your fault. It – " she cut herself off. "Whatever he did to you was because of _him, _not you."

Gaara shut his eyes. This was so much, too much. He didn't understand it, couldn't wrap his mind all the way around it. "Then what does that make me?"

"Gaara." She said, simply, so simply that he thought that, for a moment, she was kidding him. "That makes you yourself."

Gaara turned his hand palm up and looked at it. "But what am I?" he said, more to himself than her.

Skye shrugged, then remembered a slip of paper she'd found in a fortune cookie one Friday night last year. "You can tell what kind of person you are from your friends," she said without thinking. She instantly regretted it – from what she understood, Gaara wasn't exactly a social butterfly.

_And that's sugarcoating it._

"I mean," she amended, "Like if the people you hang around are good people, then chances are, you're not a bad person." She wondered how prudent it was, what she was about to say next, but she plowed on. "And you hang around us – and if only one of us is good, than it's Naruto."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Somehow, sitting at the bar, sipping a Pepsi (the man, Jiraiya, had waved away patrons who gave him That Look and said that Naruto couldn't possibly be even eighteen, let alone twenty-one,) Naruto had revealed almost everything to Jiraiya – how a 'secret' (meaning Jinchuuriki) had been kept and that it affected himself and Gaara and how Sasuke was such a jerk to Sakura and how the secret was tearing everything apart.

The bar was dimly lit and filled mostly with people in their thirties, but there was a fair share of younger patrons and grizzled old men. The stools were comfortable enough, and the music was turned down a little because some sort of game was on.

The man rested his chin on his hands. "Well, that's quite a story," he said, and Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'm not making it up!" he shot back.

Jiraiya arched an eyebrow. "I never said you were, brat. I'm just saying that it's a lot, for someone your age." Absentmindedly, his eyes wandered to the group of twenty-something girls that walked in, complete with low-cut tops and legs galore.

Under the table, Naruto kicked him. "Perv!"

The man grinned. "Wait till your my age, kid, and – "

"I really don't need to hear the rest of that," Naruto remarked. They sat in silence, and then Naruto said, "So what do you think I should do?"

He shrugged. "Well, Naruto…it seems that your friend – Gaara, was it? - is awfully lost. And the secret…" he trailed off. Jiraiya knew what Naruto was saying, but also what he wasn't saying. Naruto was Minato's kid, he was sure of it. And if that was the case, then the kid was a victim of the Jinchuuriki project. He had heard about it about a decade ago –it had been all over the news, what most of the cops had talked about. Some the regulars at the bar had been cops on the case, some of his friends in fact.

_At least it's not as bad as what Orochimaru did…eugh…_

"Well," he said, thoughtfully. "I know Iruka. He used to be a regular, back when he was a cop. I know that he wouldn't hide something big from you if it wasn't for your own good." _Yea, cause _that _always goes over well with kids. _

True to form, Naruto snorted. "Right. So it's better for me to go along in life not knowing what the hell I am, just as long as it's for my own good? That's bullshit."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Ignorance is bliss. Isn't that what they say?"

"Bullshit," Naruto said again, angrily. "I'm freakin' sick of being lied to."

"And you have a right to be," Jiraiya conceded. "But it sounds like Iruka had your best interests at heart. And as far as what you are…well, what were you before all this happened?"

Naruto shrugged. "That's the thing. I don't know," he said quietly. "But was that why I was able to beat Sasuke? 'Cause of what I am? I mean, they said that – well, what they did to me failed…but still…" He frowned into his soda and sighed. "I don't even know. Is that why -" he cut himself off, brow furrowed.

Jiraiya picked up a glass and began cleaning it. "Hmm. Well. Sometimes, it's not how you do it, but _why _you do it. Why _were _you fighting the brat, anyway? That's what you were in detention for, right?"

Naruto nodded. "He was insulting a friend of mine – she, ah – well, I didn't like it and she's too shy to do anything about it." Somehow, calling Sakura shy didn't really seem accurate to Naruto, but it was the best he could come up with.

"Sticking up for a ladyfriend, eh?" he said with a wink. "I can respect that." Naruto felt his ears turn pink and was suddenly grateful for the lack of light. "So," Jiraiya continued, "It seems that you have enemies in three different sources: that Sasuke kid, the Kev guy, and Jinchuuriki as a whole."

"Pretty much," Naruto muttered. "And Iruka. You forgot him." While he was not as explosive as before, Naruto still harbored some anger, a little resentment, and a helluva lot of confusion, particularly toward his guardian.

Jiraiya shrugged. "I wouldn't count him as an _enemy_. He did something stupid, I suppose, in keeping all that from you, but…" again, he shrugged. "He's a good guy. How'd you come to live with him, if you don't mind my asking?" Jiraiya had a few ideas, but he still wondered. _If he's Minato's kid…that makes him my godson. Heh. Small world. _

The godson he had thought to be dead for the past ten years.

Naruto stared at the table and began tracing invisible lines on the black linoleum. "After my parents were killed, I went to live with my uncle – thing's didn't really turn out too well – he was in with the thing. Then he was arrested, and then Iruka heard I was alive – apparently he was my dad's friend or something." His words were uncharacteristically quiet.

"You're the spitting image of him. Your father, I mean," Jiraiya said eventually. The boy whipped his head up. "What? You knew my dad?"

Jiraiya nodded sagely. "He was a regular here, too. With Iruka, sometimes. They were in the police force together. And I can honestly say that if you have that man's genes in you, you're gonna turn out okay, regardless of an experiment or another. And if this other kid is your friend – Gaara, right? – well, he can't be too far off the deep end, either."

Naruto nodded, and was about to say something when his phone began ringing. "Better answer that," Jiraiya said with a nod to the device. Naruto scowled at the phone for a moment before answering without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" He more growled than said the word. After a minute he paused, his eyes taking on a serious glint. "Yea, just hold on a sec, okay? Give me two minutes, and I'll call you back. Uh-huh. Okay. Bye, Sakura."

He hung up, a troubled look on his face.

"Your ladyfriend?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk. It fell when he caught the look on the kid's face. "What is it, Naruto?"

"She's in trouble," Naruto said, already hopping down from the bar stool. "At least, I think. I have to go. Thanks!"

"See you around, kid!" Jiraiya called, but Naruto was already out the door.

Jiraiya shook his head. _Just like his parents…you'll be fine, Naruto. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura waited with shaking hands for Naruto to call her back.

_What did I just _do? _How stupid – ugh…he's going to think I'm _such _a freak…_ she inhaled. _Just tell him you had a homework question…you have the same geometry teacher, right? Or ask him how he's doing…yea. Do that. _

She glanced down at her hand. She still gripped the razor in a death grip, so hard that the dulled sides bit into her skin.

She jumped when her phone rang. "Hi," she said.

"What's up?" Naruto exhaled loudly. "You sounded kinda fazed."

Sakura bit her lip and found it hard to speak around the lump in her throat. "Uhm I was just – I – "

But her resolve broke. Unbidden tears began streaming down her face as she fought for control of her voice. "Sakura?" Naruto asked to her silence.

Sakura swallowed and tried to speak, but no words would come. _I cut myself and I thought I was getting better but now I don't know anything anymore and now everything's so confused…Naruto…_

"Sakura? Are you okay?" Naruto sounded worried. Sakura bit her lip. She didn't want to worry him. These were _her _problems, not his. _Why _did she call him? She had no right. _Pathetic…_

"I'm fine," she choked out. "I – "

"Don't lie to me," Naruto said, sounding very serious and very quiet, and a little angry. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

That was the push Sakura needed to send her off the proverbial cliff. "So much," she sobbed. "Everything's just so messed up." She was crying now, and she was scared. She didn't know when she'd be able to stop.

"…Sakura? What was it? What's…what's making you cry?" Naruto sounded fiercely gentle, somehow. Sakura couldn't describe it.

"I was – and then the – and you and everyone and everything –" she could hardly form a coherent sentence. "I'm sorry," she said through her tears.

Naruto ignored the apology. "Was it Sasuke?" he asked.

Not remembering that he couldn't see her over the phone, Sakura shook her head.

"Sakura? Who was it?" Naruto asked in response to her silence.

Sakura deliberated for a long moment before answering. _Who…who _was it? Try as she might, she couldn't come up with a name, a place, an event. She didn't _know why _she was like this, it was just stress and pressure and everything possible. It wasn't _one _thing, it was everything. It wasn't someone else, it was –

"Myself," she whispered, "I'm doing this to myself."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto swallowed. He was scared for Sakura, wondering what was happening. The confession came as both a relief and a shock. "Why?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

_Idiot! That is _not _how you handle a crying girl! _

Not that he was an expert on how to handle crying teenage girls, but that was beside the point.

"I cut," she sobbed. "I – I it started last year," the words sounded like they were wrenched from her. "I don't know what's happening, Naruto," she continued, sounding way scared and tiny. "And I'm scared and confused and – " she cut herself off, and her voice was slightly steadier when she said, "I'm sorry."

_Sakura cuts? What…damn…I never thought…_he couldn't wrap his mind around it, so he decided to take it in stride. "Okay," he said, sitting himself down on a bench outside one of the restaurants on the same street as the bar. "What happened?"

"My father – well, and – and Sa – Sasuke – and everything fell apart and –"

"That's…it's still no reason to hurt yourself, you know?" Naruto found himself saying. He went with the first words that came to mind, because he feared that if he over thought it then he'd say the wrong thing. "I mean, you should love yourself, right? And those bastards that did that to you should be the ones paying for it, not you. Don't hurt yourself, Sakura. Please." He was surprised that he said it, that he meant every word.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	23. Chapter 23

Kakashi sighed and watched his class leave that Tuesday, smiling to himself. Things had definitely changed, alright – maybe one big thing, maybe a great plethora of small, subtle tings – _something_ had changed – he just wasn't sure what it was.

Whatever it had been, though, had been for the better.

_Still, _he reminded himself, _Sakura's the only one who actually _talked.

True as that may be, progress was progress. Gaara didn't look like he was about to take a knife out and kill them all; Skye seemed more relaxed; Naruto was cheerful as ever; Sai was less awkward; Sakura lost a lot of the 'deer-in-headlights' look; they were acting like _teenagers, _more or less. Not bratty delinquents or too-young adults.

Tonight had actually been quite amusing – Naruto had announced some tickets to one band or another and to say that Sakura shrieked would have been an understatement. Sai and Gaara were cool about it, but the other three…

He had never thought to pin Skye as the hyper type, but she was right up there with Naruto. Sakura wasn't that far behind.

_Happiness is a rare thing for these kids, I guess, _he thought to himself, pointedly avoiding the picture of the young man as he turned off the lights and locked up. _And they deserve more of it. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Sakura had a bad feeling in her gut. It started when she left for school that day, as if her breakfast had up and turned to lead. It continued throughout the day, getting heavier and tighter, until Sakura felt as if she were a rubber band of anxiety that was too close to snapping.

She tried her breathing exercises – they did nothing. Fidgeting didn't help, either. It got so bad that she excused herself in the middle of seventh period so she could go for a walk, sink against the hallway wall, and bury her head in her hands.

That was the way Sai found her.

"Sakura?" he asked, slowing to a halt in the empty hallway. "What's wrong?"

Sakura looked up and forced herself to smile. It felt like a grimaced. "My stomach just hurts, that's all."

Sai paused for a minute, then nodded as if he had an epiphany. "Oh, right," he said, then sat next to her. "I have a question," he said, and paused.

"Ask away," Sakura said, pouncing on the distraction. Anything to get her mind off of – _what?_ The sense of impending doom? _God, Sakura, what's _wrong _with you? _She blinked, hard, to end that train of thought right then and there.

"Do you know that pretty blonde girl's name? I think she's in your grade."

Sakura glanced at him – Sai was completely serious. "Uh, I'm going to need more to go on than that," Sakura said, then realization dawned on her. She nudged Sai. "Why, you like her?"

"I think so," he said, staring intently at the opposite wall. "But how do I talk to her? Isn't there a certain way or something?"

Sakura smiled to herself, and spent the rest of the period giving Sai girl advice.

The lead ball retreated for a while.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

She was on her way to therapy and about ten seconds away from hyperventilating.

_I knew it! knew it was the calm before the storm. _Something's _gonna happen, and I'm gonna die, and everything's gonna fall to pieces and –_

"Sakura," her brother said, jerking her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

Normally, Sakura would answer fine-just-fine, but because this was her brother and she felt like the entire freaking sky was coming down on her. She glanced over to her brother. The epitome of calm, hands loosely holding the steering wheel as he patiently waited for her response.

She didn't think that she was going to respond, but she surprised herself.

"Too many good things have been happening," she blurted out, thinking of Ringleader's and Naruto and the up-and-coming concert. "Way too many good things." Okay, so there had been fights and stuff, but _she wasn't cutting, _she had amazing friends, and so what if there were issues? There were still _good things _among aforementioned issues, and that was _wrong._

"Too many good things," Kaoru repeated, rolling around the words in his head. "And what do you mean by that?"

Sakura clamped her mouth shut, too late realizing what she had said. _Oh, shit…_ The sense of dread intensified.

"Sak?"

But her words wanted out, and they needed little coaxing. "Like the calm before the storm," she said. Now that she had put a name and face to her problems, they seemed a little less ominous, but altogether more threatening. _A freaking oxymoron. Lovely. _"Like there's been too much good, so a bunch of bad is about to happen."

It sounded childish, put into words like that. But still.

Kaoru was shaking his head. "Sakura," he said, "It's not that too many _good _things have been happening. It's that the bad has stopped. You're in high school; it's _supposed_ to be that way. Last year was just plain shitty, and really hard on you. Now that things are getting better – " he cut himself off. "Shoot, Sakura, you're _supposed _to be happy. You should be. Don't let Mom or anyone else tell you otherwise, understand?"

They had pulled up to the abandoned church now, but Sakura didn't move. Her brother continued, "It's good that you're happy, Sakura. It's a nice change."

And Sakura smiled, because in all honesty, how many people got a pep talk like that from their brother? And she said, "Thanks, Kaoru," as she got out of the car.

But still, the feeling remained.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye tugged her jacket sleeves over her hands. "You'd think he'd _be _here by now," she muttered, glaring at the sidewalk. Sakura nodded in agreement.

Sai shrugged. "He _is _always late," he said neutrally.

"Still," Skye muttered, then grinned maliciously. "I say that we go in and lock him out."

"We don't have the keys," Gaara said from behind her.

Skye didn't even turn. "Killjoy," she muttered. She had decided to give up on how Gaara moved silently, especially since he had freaking _chains _on his pants. She didn't understand it, and never would.

A lengthy silence followed. _God, as soon as Naruto leaves, the conversation dies. Where is he, anyway? _

"Hey, did you hear that?" Sakura asked, frowning.

Sai looked around. "I didn't hear – "

"Shh!" Sakura said, and Skye listened. She wasn't sure, but maybe –

"It's this way," Gaara said, gesturing to the grounds behind the church. "Probably a cat."

"Let's check it out," Sakura said, walking towards the building. _Wonder what's so urgent about this, _Skye wondered, but nonetheless followed her.

The four of them made their way back, Sakura a little ahead of everyone else. The ground was hard and covered in a layer of frost, and she could see her breath. The streetlights weren't reaching all the way back here; one side of the old church was a forest, and the trees cast dark shadows along the grounds.

"Shit," Sakura said, and started running. Skye blinked and focused on what Sakura was running towards.

Two boys were trying to _kill _each other.

Two _very familiar boys._

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, and Gaara sprinted after her.

_Now he makes a sound,_ Skye thought as she and Sai, after exchanging a Look that held an entire conversation, sped after him.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura _knew _it. Something bad was going to happen, and this was it.

Sasuke and Naruto.

She stopped just shy of their fight and balked. They were moving _fast; _it was almost unreal. They were snarling insults so creative that they had to be picked up from sailors themselves, and there was blood on both their faces, blue-black in the dark. They were in a tiny stretch of light right by the building that filtered in from the streets, and by the looks of it, they had been fighting for a while.

"Stopitstopitstopit!" She yelled, but that had no effect whatsoever. Naruto glanced her way and – was it her imagination or did he shoot her a grin – and Sasuke's face contorted into a mask of hatred.

They broke apart as if they had planned it that way, and began circling each other. Naruto spat a gob of blood out of his mouth and bared his teeth, and Sasuke's face was frozen into a sneer.

"You're dead, loser," Sasuke growled. "And then so are the rest of them."

Naruto gave a bitter laugh. "'Cause you can take _me,_ let alone two other guys."

"Wanna bet?" Sasuke said, voice dangerously soft. "Winner takes _her?_" he gestured lecherously to Sakura.

"I'll _flay _you!" Naruto barked, launching himself at the other boy. At the same time, Sasuke pulled out a switchblade and silhouettes lept from the shadows.

"_STOP!" _Sakura screamed, because she saw it coming but dammit, why couldn't she _do _anything. Because the blade had buried itself into Naruto's side and blood was pouring out of the wound and there were three other guys who looked ready to kill but Naruto still got up and – _holy shit that _wasn't _Naruto. _

The look on the boy's face was the face you gave to the faceless monsters that haunted your nightmares as a kid. It was contorted into a snarl, and the look that he was giving Sasuke was one of pure, unadulterated loathing – the type of hatred you only feel for one person, they type of hatred that didn't belong in Naruto.

"See you in hell," he growled to Sasuke, and grabbing the other boy by his collar, slammed him into the building.

Hard.

There was a sickening crack, and Sasuke didn't get up.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Naruto hardly felt the pain now. He had when he first began fighting Sasuke, and then that faded to a plethora of dull aches. He had felt it again, a sharp, stabbing sting, when Sasuke had stabbed him.

Now, with Sasuke out could and Sakura ten feet away, there was nothing but the fire in his stomach and the rage in his chest, the whispers of thoughts in his head telling him exactly what to do.

He had taken martial arts at the community center, back when he lived with his uncle, as a pro-active measure to defend himself. He also had gotten into his fair share of fights – knowledge and experience.

The two added together equaled power.

He _knew _that twisting the one boy's arm in a hammerlock would hurt him enough to keep him away for a minute, and he knew that he'd have to work fast and powerful because he'd been up against guys bigger than him _before. _

He knew that kicking a guy in the solar plexus would hurt, and if he punch them in their larynx, he could crush the trachea and they'd choke –

But the side of his brain that had retreated, the civilized side that was rational, whispered to not do that, that could _kill _a guy, but that part of his brain wasn't in control, it had surrendered long ago to the aggressive, primal side of him that wanted _blood._

But before he could do all this, he was grabbed by the collar of his jacket and the other boys were nowhere in sight, and then he was falling, falling, and it was dark.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As soon as Kakashi appeared, the other boys scrambled away, one clutching his arm and another gasping for air.

He glanced at Naruto and stopped. _Shit…_his eyes followed the trail of blood to the knife that rested not far away and the unconscious boy who lay sprawled on the ground.

Two seconds later he was calling the paramedics. He was dully away of the rest of his students around him, worried about Naruto, but he was all business. He gave the address, the emergency, and hung up.

"What's going to happen?" Sakura asked in a small voice. "Is he – is he –"

"He's going to the hospital," Kakashi said flatly. "Both of them are."

"Sasuke was the one who pulled the knife," Gaara said, and Kakashi looked up, surprised that Gaara had spoken. "And it's – "

"Probably illegal, I know," Kakashi said, nudging the weapon with his boot. Quieter, he said, "I know."


	24. Chapter 24

Kakashi sighed and watched his class leave that Tuesday, smiling to himself. Things had definitely changed, alright – maybe one big thing, maybe a great plethora of small, subtle tings – _something_ had changed – he just wasn't sure what it was.

Whatever it had been, though, had been for the better.

_Still, _he reminded himself, _Sakura's the only one who actually _talked.

True as that may be, progress was progress. Gaara didn't look like he was about to take a knife out and kill them all; Skye seemed more relaxed; Naruto was cheerful as ever; Sai was less awkward; Sakura lost a lot of the 'deer-in-headlights' look; they were acting like _teenagers, _more or less. Not bratty delinquents or too-young adults.

Tonight had actually been quite amusing – Naruto had announced some tickets to one band or another and to say that Sakura shrieked would have been an understatement. Sai and Gaara were cool about it, but the other three…

He had never thought to pin Skye as the hyper type, but she was right up there with Naruto. Sakura wasn't that far behind.

_Happiness is a rare thing for these kids, I guess, _he thought to himself, pointedly avoiding the picture of the young man as he turned off the lights and locked up. _And they deserve more of it. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Sakura had a bad feeling in her gut. It started when she left for school that day, as if her breakfast had up and turned to lead. It continued throughout the day, getting heavier and tighter, until Sakura felt as if she were a rubber band of anxiety that was too close to snapping.

She tried her breathing exercises – they did nothing. Fidgeting didn't help, either. It got so bad that she excused herself in the middle of seventh period so she could go for a walk, sink against the hallway wall, and bury her head in her hands.

That was the way Sai found her.

"Sakura?" he asked, slowing to a halt in the empty hallway. "What's wrong?"

Sakura looked up and forced herself to smile. It felt like a grimaced. "My stomach just hurts, that's all."

Sai paused for a minute, then nodded as if he had an epiphany. "Oh, right," he said, then sat next to her. "I have a question," he said, and paused.

"Ask away," Sakura said, pouncing on the distraction. Anything to get her mind off of – _what?_ The sense of impending doom? _God, Sakura, what's _wrong _with you? _She blinked, hard, to end that train of thought right then and there.

"Do you know that pretty blonde girl's name? I think she's in your grade."

Sakura glanced at him – Sai was completely serious. "Uh, I'm going to need more to go on than that," Sakura said, then realization dawned on her. She nudged Sai. "Why, you like her?"

"I think so," he said, staring intently at the opposite wall. "But how do I talk to her? Isn't there a certain way or something?"

Sakura smiled to herself, and spent the rest of the period giving Sai girl advice.

The lead ball retreated for a while.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

She was on her way to therapy and about ten seconds away from hyperventilating.

_I knew it! knew it was the calm before the storm. _Something's _gonna happen, and I'm gonna die, and everything's gonna fall to pieces and –_

"Sakura," her brother said, jerking her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

Normally, Sakura would answer fine-just-fine, but because this was her brother and she felt like the entire freaking sky was coming down on her. She glanced over to her brother. The epitome of calm, hands loosely holding the steering wheel as he patiently waited for her response.

She didn't think that she was going to respond, but she surprised herself.

"Too many good things have been happening," she blurted out, thinking of Ringleader's and Naruto and the up-and-coming concert. "Way too many good things." Okay, so there had been fights and stuff, but _she wasn't cutting, _she had amazing friends, and so what if there were issues? There were still _good things _among aforementioned issues, and that was _wrong._

"Too many good things," Kaoru repeated, rolling around the words in his head. "And what do you mean by that?"

Sakura clamped her mouth shut, too late realizing what she had said. _Oh, shit…_ The sense of dread intensified.

"Sak?"

But her words wanted out, and they needed little coaxing. "Like the calm before the storm," she said. Now that she had put a name and face to her problems, they seemed a little less ominous, but altogether more threatening. _A freaking oxymoron. Lovely. _"Like there's been too much good, so a bunch of bad is about to happen."

It sounded childish, put into words like that. But still.

Kaoru was shaking his head. "Sakura," he said, "It's not that too many _good _things have been happening. It's that the bad has stopped. You're in high school; it's _supposed_ to be that way. Last year was just plain shitty, and really hard on you. Now that things are getting better – " he cut himself off. "Shoot, Sakura, you're _supposed _to be happy. You should be. Don't let Mom or anyone else tell you otherwise, understand?"

They had pulled up to the abandoned church now, but Sakura didn't move. Her brother continued, "It's good that you're happy, Sakura. It's a nice change."

And Sakura smiled, because in all honesty, how many people got a pep talk like that from their brother? And she said, "Thanks, Kaoru," as she got out of the car.

But still, the feeling remained.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye tugged her jacket sleeves over her hands. "You'd think he'd _be _here by now," she muttered, glaring at the sidewalk. Sakura nodded in agreement.

Sai shrugged. "He _is _always late," he said neutrally.

"Still," Skye muttered, then grinned maliciously. "I say that we go in and lock him out."

"We don't have the keys," Gaara said from behind her.

Skye didn't even turn. "Killjoy," she muttered. She had decided to give up on how Gaara moved silently, especially since he had freaking _chains _on his pants. She didn't understand it, and never would.

A lengthy silence followed. _God, as soon as Naruto leaves, the conversation dies. Where is he, anyway? _

"Hey, did you hear that?" Sakura asked, frowning.

Sai looked around. "I didn't hear – "

"Shh!" Sakura said, and Skye listened. She wasn't sure, but maybe –

"It's this way," Gaara said, gesturing to the grounds behind the church. "Probably a cat."

"Let's check it out," Sakura said, walking towards the building. _Wonder what's so urgent about this, _Skye wondered, but nonetheless followed her.

The four of them made their way back, Sakura a little ahead of everyone else. The ground was hard and covered in a layer of frost, and she could see her breath. The streetlights weren't reaching all the way back here; one side of the old church was a forest, and the trees cast dark shadows along the grounds.

"Shit," Sakura said, and started running. Skye blinked and focused on what Sakura was running towards.

Two boys were trying to _kill _each other.

Two _very familiar boys._

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, and Gaara sprinted after her.

_Now he makes a sound,_ Skye thought as she and Sai, after exchanging a Look that held an entire conversation, sped after him.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura _knew _it. Something bad was going to happen, and this was it.

Sasuke and Naruto.

She stopped just shy of their fight and balked. They were moving _fast; _it was almost unreal. They were snarling insults so creative that they had to be picked up from sailors themselves, and there was blood on both their faces, blue-black in the dark. They were in a tiny stretch of light right by the building that filtered in from the streets, and by the looks of it, they had been fighting for a while.

"Stopitstopitstopit!" She yelled, but that had no effect whatsoever. Naruto glanced her way and – was it her imagination or did he shoot her a grin – and Sasuke's face contorted into a mask of hatred.

They broke apart as if they had planned it that way, and began circling each other. Naruto spat a gob of blood out of his mouth and bared his teeth, and Sasuke's face was frozen into a sneer.

"You're dead, loser," Sasuke growled. "And then so are the rest of them."

Naruto gave a bitter laugh. "'Cause you can take _me,_ let alone two other guys."

"Wanna bet?" Sasuke said, voice dangerously soft. "Winner takes _her?_" he gestured lecherously to Sakura.

"I'll _flay _you!" Naruto barked, launching himself at the other boy. At the same time, Sasuke pulled out a switchblade and silhouettes lept from the shadows.

"_STOP!" _Sakura screamed, because she saw it coming but dammit, why couldn't she _do _anything. Because the blade had buried itself into Naruto's side and blood was pouring out of the wound and there were three other guys who looked ready to kill but Naruto still got up and – _holy shit that _wasn't _Naruto. _

The look on the boy's face was the face you gave to the faceless monsters that haunted your nightmares as a kid. It was contorted into a snarl, and the look that he was giving Sasuke was one of pure, unadulterated loathing – the type of hatred you only feel for one person, they type of hatred that didn't belong in Naruto.

"See you in hell," he growled to Sasuke, and grabbing the other boy by his collar, slammed him into the building.

Hard.

There was a sickening crack, and Sasuke didn't get up.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Naruto hardly felt the pain now. He had when he first began fighting Sasuke, and then that faded to a plethora of dull aches. He had felt it again, a sharp, stabbing sting, when Sasuke had stabbed him.

Now, with Sasuke out could and Sakura ten feet away, there was nothing but the fire in his stomach and the rage in his chest, the whispers of thoughts in his head telling him exactly what to do.

He had taken martial arts at the community center, back when he lived with his uncle, as a pro-active measure to defend himself. He also had gotten into his fair share of fights – knowledge and experience.

The two added together equaled power.

He _knew _that twisting the one boy's arm in a hammerlock would hurt him enough to keep him away for a minute, and he knew that he'd have to work fast and powerful because he'd been up against guys bigger than him _before. _

He knew that kicking a guy in the solar plexus would hurt, and if he punch them in their larynx, he could crush the trachea and they'd choke –

But the side of his brain that had retreated, the civilized side that was rational, whispered to not do that, that could _kill _a guy, but that part of his brain wasn't in control, it had surrendered long ago to the aggressive, primal side of him that wanted _blood._

But before he could do all this, he was grabbed by the collar of his jacket and the other boys were nowhere in sight, and then he was falling, falling, and it was dark.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As soon as Kakashi appeared, the other boys scrambled away, one clutching his arm and another gasping for air.

He glanced at Naruto and stopped. _Shit…_his eyes followed the trail of blood to the knife that rested not far away and the unconscious boy who lay sprawled on the ground.

Two seconds later he was calling the paramedics. He was dully away of the rest of his students around him, worried about Naruto, but he was all business. He gave the address, the emergency, and hung up.

"What's going to happen?" Sakura asked in a small voice. "Is he – is he –"

"He's going to the hospital," Kakashi said flatly. "Both of them are."

"Sasuke was the one who pulled the knife," Gaara said, and Kakashi looked up, surprised that Gaara had spoken. "And it's – "

"Probably illegal, I know," Kakashi said, nudging the weapon with his boot. Quieter, he said, "I know."


	25. Chapter 25

You would think that the ER waiting room would have an unlimited capacity for tension – well it turns out that it didn't. Apparently when four distressed, angst-ridden teenagers and one mega-pissed counselor stormed in, the tension in the waiting room met its limit.

In retrospect, Kakashi might've been able to laugh at the absurdity of it all – they were quite the motley crew for a hospital setting – but right now, he was more concerned for Naruto and the two men who looked about two seconds from ripping each other's throats out. Apparently they had gotten into the fight outside of their respective son's hospital rooms, and some pissed-off nurse had told them to take it outside.

The two men had apparently translated 'outside' to mean the waiting room.

They were on the receiving end of quite a few questioning stares, but either they didn't notice or didn't care. The one man Kakashi recognized as Iruka, an old friend and Naruto's guardian. The other could only be an Uchiha, more specifically Sasuke's father.

"You're _son,_" Iruka spat the word like it was a curse, "Pulled a _knife. A motherfucking knife._ And I swear to God I'm going to press charges –"

"And that _brat,_" the other man said in the same tone, "Gave my _son _a _concussion._"

"Whoop-de-freakin'-doo," Iruka said sarcastically, wiggling his fingers for emphasis. The Uchiha's face turned red and the horrible part of Skye that was always sardonic at the worst times found it just shy of hilarious. She coughed to cover up her laughter. The fact that they were _grown men _didn't help their case.

Still, she felt like screaming to the Uchiha, _Um, are you stupid? He freakin' attacked with a knife! That's armed battery or assault or something! _ But, to her credit, she held her tongue.

Kakashi glanced at the girl, recognized the look on her face as one who is inappropriately amused, and empathized with her. Much as he wanted to either laugh at it all or slap the man, he couldn't. He was an adult, and unfortunately had to act as such.

"Instead of arguing like middle schoolers," Kakashi suggested flatly to the men, "How about you go _see _your injured wards, hmm?"

The Uchiha sniffed primly and stalked away, muttering threats of lawsuits and suing Iruka _and _Kakashi for everything, and Iruka flipped the bird to his back. "Son of a bitch," he growled.

Kakashi could only agree. "Go back to Naruto," Kakashi calmly. "He's the one who needs you right now."

And Iruka could only agree, because as usual, Kakashi was right.

The chairs were hard and uncomfortable, but Kakashi put that aside and adopted a relaxed posture for his students. "I called each of your houses," he said, careful to avoid the word _parents._ "You should be picked up at regular time, which gives us…maybe twenty minutes here."

"Lovely," Skye muttered, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve. Had it been any other time, any other situation, she would've made a remark about how big of a man-child Sasuke's father had been – well, she _figured _it was Sasuke's father – same pale skin, dark hair and eyes, not to mention the god-complex.

"Will he be okay?" Sakura asked in a small voice.

_Yea. That too. How the hell _is _Naruto doing? _

As if on cue, for heads expectantly turned to Kakashi. After all, why not? He had had all the answers thus far –from getting Naruto into the ambulance to having one of his friends drive them in a police car to the hospital while he rode in the ambulance with Naruto, to assuring the nurse that they all had legitimate reason for being there.

Kakashi felt his gut wrench. He didn't want to lie to these kids – if anything, they _deserved _the truth – but he couldn't bring himself to tell them that the possibility of Naruto (not necessarily _dying) _not being okay. So he sighed, turned to Sakura, and said, "Naruto is being treated. The knife didn't reach any organs – thank God – but he took a lot of hits, including one to the head. I'm not sure how bad it is. They're only letting family in to see him and he needed a blood transfusion."

Sai let out a breath, and that broke the stillness that everyone had been under while Kakashi spoke. "But he'll pull through, right?" he asked, because this was _Naruto _and he didn't take people's crap. "Sooner or later, right?"

He hated those words – 'sooner or later' – they left too much ambiguity, too much room to wander, too much room to _not be okay. _But what else could he say? _And, _the logical part of him chimed, _it's the perfect answer._

So, much as he wanted to kick himself, Kakashi found himself saying, "Yea." God, did he sound that old and tired all the time? "Sooner or later."

~*~~*~*~*~*~*~  
They weren't allowed to see Naruto.

Things rushed by in a blur for Sakura, as someone – Naruto's dad, or guardian, or uncle or something – rushed in, demanding to know where Naruto was. Two seconds later a severe-looking couple marched in, demanding to know where Sasuke was and what had happened, then the respective guardians were at each other's throats, and Kakashi was trying to calm things down and _why wouldn't it just stop? _

She hugged her knees tighter to herself. She wanted to be a doctor, yes, but not an emergency-room one. There was no need for any added tension – the ER itself supplied more than enough. And when there was too much tension, people snapped.

"He'll pull through," Sai said, with a confidence Sakura wished she could feel.

"How do you know?" Skye shot back nastily. Sai's face must've said something – hell, _everyone's _face looked as if they had been personally affronted – and she backtracked. "Oh shit – sorry, I –" but Sakura hardly heard her apologies.

"Just-shut-up." Sakura grit through clenched teeth. "No one needs to hear it." She didn't know where she found the steel to say that, but she was glad that she did. She couldn't take it – Naruto – Sasuke…

The image of Naruto getting stabbed repeated itself over and over in her head, like some sick scene from a bad thriller movie. And the look on his face…

_Except it's not a movie. This is real. The real fucking deal, Sakura. _

She hated it.

Temari kept giving him wary glances on the ride home, as if _he _had been the one to stab Naruto. Gaara wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. What would Temari know?

But maybe Temari had reason to worry – he youngest brother was staring out the window as usual, but she had just picked him up from the hospital and he had an air about him that screamed tension. Having a conversation with Gaara was decidedly one-sided, but she had pried a few names out of him – Naruto was one of them.

_And for Gaara to mention him _once _practically means they're best friends. And now he's hospitalized…_

"I'm visiting Naruto tomorrow," Gaara told Temari, because Gaara never asked for anything.

If Kankuro had said the same thing, she would've nodded, but because this was Gaara and Gaara rarely initiated conversation, she said, "Okay. What time do you think you'll be back?"

Gaara shrugged and went back to staring out the window. Temari pursed her lips but continued driving and Gaara did the strangest thing – he turned on the radio and popped in a CD produced from his bag.

Temari was surprised – so surprised that she narrowly avoided a collision by slamming on the brakes and cursing creatively and liberally, covering up how surprised she was. _Gaara? Listening to _music? _He's never showed any interest before…_ She vaguely recognized the music as something Kankuro listened to, but she didn't remember ever seeing the two together about music and Kankuro probably would've mentioned something like that to her anyways.

A small, rare smile graced her lips and she allowed herself a small sigh. Whatever had been going on these past couple months had definitely done Gaara some good. "What band is this?" she asked him, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be called something like, _Fucking with the Devil 666 _or _As I Rip Your Heart Out._

"Shattered," was his reply.

And Temari nodded, satisfied, because two answers from Gaara in one car ride was unprecedented and Kankuro was making tacos tonight.

Gaara, however, was in a bout of what could only be described as chaos. He didn't like it. He felt something inside his chest, something heavy and feral that wanted to beat the crap out of Sasuke and his groupies. He wasn't stupid – he knew what was going to happen. Naruto was in bad condition, and Sasuke had been in possession of a knife – an illegal one. That was battery or assault or something – Naruto had every right to press charges, if Sasuke wasn't in trouble already for possession of an illegal weapon.

That was going to be the aftermath – but _when was Naruto going to get better? _

The nurse had said that they could visit him tomorrow, but tonight was restricted to family only. When they had asked how he was doing, she surveyed them, taking in their desperate looks and wide eyes. She had shaken her head and said, "He's hanging in there, but we're not sure. He needed a blood transfusion."

Something about her words didn't sit right with Gaara. He mulled over them, trying to find what it was, and then decided that it was how she hadn't made eye contact with any of them – particularly him.

A frown crossed over his face. Naruto _had _to get better. The idea of Naruto not recovering was simply unfathomable. Naruto _had _to get better – he was _Naruto. _It was like Sakura going skitzo or Skye not being sarcastic – bouncing back was a part of Naruto that made him Naruto.

And he couldn't decide if the music was helping. Yesterday, before all this, Skye had thrust a several CDs into his hand and told him to listen, to find out what he liked.

"_Why?" he had asked, fumbling and almost dropping one of the CDs. _

_Without missing a beat, she had caught it before it hit the ground and stuck it inside an open flap on his bag. "Why what?" _

"_Why do you like music so much?" Sure, Shattered had been, well, good, but why all this other stuff? It seemed quite a lot, and he doubted that she could like all of the nearly two thousand songs on her iPod. _

_Skye had paused a minute, then said, "It's…huh. It's like my own personal therapist, or something. Tells me what I need to hear, you know?"_

_And Gaara had nodded and put the rest of his CDs in his bag, because Skye had answered well enough and he was, despite himself, curious. _

Now he didn't know if it was what he wanted to hear – the lyrics were aggressive, the instruments violent.

And all he could think about right now was how much he wanted to rip that _bastard's _throat out.

_When Sasuke gets out of that hospital,_ he promised himself, _I swear I'll put him back in there._

"_This _is what happens when you go out?!" Terra was incredulous. Skye rolled her eyes at her sister. "Yes, what's it to you?" She shot back. She really wasn't in the mood to defend her friends or argue with Terra. All she wanted to do was sleep and possibly plot the murder of Sasuke and Co.

Terra glared at her through the rearview mirror. She knew damn well that her little sister sat in the back in hopes of avoiding confrontations like these, but dammit, Skye wasn't getting out of this one. "Hello? Your friend got _stabbed._ In front of a _church _–"

"Yea, you're the only religious one here," Skye drawled in a way that she knew would make her sister's skin crawl. "And it's freaking abandoned."

"It's the principle of the thing," Terra shot back snidely. _Eat your words. _Skye had said the same thing not long ago, and Terra had wanted to shoot those words back at her for ages. She knew she was being petty, but still. Someone needed to be the voice of reason or an argument with Skye. If there wasn't, dear God, they'd be _swimming _in pools of sarcasm.

"What? That no one blindly follows anything in this family but you?" Skye retorted. Terra bit back a nasty remark and focused on driving. She wasn't about to have this argument, _again, _with Skye. It was a losing battle on her part, and Skye knew it.

Fey had been influencing her too much, it seemed.

"She has to come to terms with everything," Fey had said, anger simmering just below his words. "And so do I. And if that mean rejecting every last damn thing that stinks of _them, _then I'm all for it."

Terra knew that when Fey said something, he damn well meant it, but still she had been surprised at how much 'every last damn thing' had encompassed. The only reason they had decided to keep the house was because it was in a good neighborhood and the mortgage was paid off – Skye called it _the only good thing they did for us._

Terra sighed but said nothing for the rest of the ride home. Skye had put her headphones one, which meant that she probably wouldn't hear anything, even if she cared.

And Skye didn't care. Her gut was a mess of worry and stress and anger, and all she wanted was for the music to take her away.

~*~*~*~*~  
Sakura didn't go to school the next day. She had woken up, told her mother that she didn't feel good – and she didn't, _at all – _and her mother must've seen something on her face because she pressed a cool hand against her forehead, nodded and said, "Go back to sleep, honey."

It was a rare moment of affection, but Sakura felt no inclination to respond. She felt like _shit _and all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a week. _Naruto…_

But then she'd think of Sasuke and a swirl of rage would whip around her belly – and then last night would replay in her head, from Naruto being stabbed to the look on his face and his words.

"_See you in hell._"

Sakura shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memories. She burrowed under the covers of her bed because no matter how old you were, _nothing _could touch you under the covers.

At some point she must've fallen asleep, because she was woken up by her phone ringing. It was a text, and Sakura lay there – under the covers, hand on her phone – for a good five minutes before she actually _read _it.

_Coming to your house. Visiting N. Be ready in 10. _

_-Skye. _

Sakura rubbed her eyes and sat up._ Visiting Naruto, huh? _She sat there, covers pooled around her waist, for another good five minutes before she actually got up to get ready. She dressed herself and brushed her teeth mechanically, left a note for her brother, sent a text to her mother, and glanced at the clock. Nearly twenty minutes since she had received the text.

Skye was late.

"They're staring at us," Gaara muttered as he, Skye, and Sai walked down the streets of what you could call the epitome of suburbia. It was the newer part of the development, which was where Sakura lived.

Sai shrugged. "Maybe they're checking you out."

Gaara blinked. _Was that some kind of joke?_ But before he had a chance to ask the boy – or strangle him, whichever his senses told him to do – Skye said, "Are you surprised? And this is her house." She walked up the cobblestone pathway that led to a rather ornate front door, taking her cell phone out of her pocket and dialing a number.

But Sakura was already at the door. Wordlessly, Skye shoved her phone back into her pocket. "Let's go."

"You're walking all the way to the hospital?" Sakura asked, incredulous.

Sai shook his head. "I know a short cut. C'mon."

Sakura was too wound up about seeing Naruto to wrinkle her nose at the trek through the cold, damp woods that Sai's short cut had encompassed. They waited in front of the desk as the attendant there surveyed them with hard eyes.

Sakura knew how they must look to the nurse. Sai was in his basic black ensemble and Skye wasn't much better, though to her credit her shirt was mostly a deep purple. Sakura supposed that she was okay, but the rips in her jeans (some of them recently acquired, she'd like to add) and her messy hair weren't helping her case.

Gaara, however, took the cake, solely for the fact that one needed to look no further than his _eyes, _which appeared to be done up in more eyeliner or kohl than Sakura would use in a week, let alone the rest of his attire. Seriously, were those _bondage _pants?

But now she was more concerned with the fact that this lady might not let them see Naruto than the technical term for Gaara's _pants. _

They had scarcely said three words and already Skye was arguing for their case.

"Look," Skye said, "He's our _friend. _Have you ever read _The Outsiders?_"

Sai threw Skye a look, as did the lady behind the desk. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Johnny's friends were Greasers and all but they still got to see him! And if they hadn't seen him, he would've died alone!"

It took Skye two seconds to realize what she had just implied. "Shit…no! I didn't mean it like that – gragh, open foot, insert mouth –"

"Ignore her," Sai said, one hand restraining Skye and the other over her mouth. "She tends to do that."

"Please?" Sakura said. "We won't cause any trouble, I swear. He's our _friend._ And he's hurt –really hurt."

Inwardly, the woman behind the desk was amused. She had hardly said two words to these kids and they were already begging. She sighed and said, "You must be for Uzumaki or Uchiha, am I correct?"

Given their age, they had to be for one of them. But something about these kids was off – something about them was oddly _adult. _Not necessarily _mature, _no, but they lacked something that teenagers usually had.

"Uzumaki," the red-haired boy with the makeup said, as if he was offended that she even _suggested _that they'd be there to see Uchiha.

Apparently they didn't lack attitude.

"Left wrist, up here," she said, and commenced to place a red hospital band around their wrists, masking her surprised when her fingertips brushed against the pink-haired girl's arm. There was no question – she felt scars there.

But she kept her face impassive as she put the bands on each teenager, then said, "He's in room 2-77. Second floor, right wing. Visiting hours end at eight."

And they all nodded, and the pink-haired girl thanked her before they went on their way.

She watched them go, and couldn't help but wish them luck.

Even if she didn't have any idea how much that they were going to need it.


	26. Chapter 26

Gaara frowned as he walked into Naruto's room. It smelled weird – like antiseptic and chemicals and latex gloves – and the too-bright lighting didn't sit well with him. He didn't like the way it made things look. Naruto looked pasty and gaunt and so…so _fragile._

The boy was lying on the hospital bed, bandaged up, with an IV sticking out of his arm and a machine hooked up to _somewhere, _because it was beeping steadily. A nurse was in the room, but she was standing just outside now, to give them some privacy.

Gaara wanted to snort. Privacy in hospitals was just shy of impossible – he would know.

"Comatose," Sakura repeated, as if the word were a strange, foreign one with a complicated meaning. "Naruto's…in a coma."

They weren't allowed to touch him; Sakura must've remembered that, because she jerked her hand away from Naruto's forehead, as if she were to brush his hair back. She looked away, around the room. It was relatively empty, the only furniture beside the gurney being the nightstand and two chairs. The walls were white and a single window let the meager light stream in through the half-drawn blinds.

"He should be like that for an undetermined amount of time," Sai said, reading a medical report that was near Naruto's bedside – the nurse had left her clipboard in the room. "It's not a severe coma, though. He's in it for unknown reasons – there's neither brain damage nor a head injury."

Gaara frowned and looked away from Naruto, if only because he was unnaturally still.

"What about Sasuke?" Sakura wondered aloud, sounding half-scared of the answer.

"He deserves to be dead," Skye said flatly. "And if he's not, I'll personally give him a thousand deaths so terrible he'll beg for _every single one of them. Dammit!_" She was absolutely seething now, almost like Temari when Kankuro did something particularly stupid.

"Skye, do you need to talk about something?" Kakashi's voice sounded from behind them.

They all whirled. Their counselor stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame like he belonged there.

"I _am_ in therapy, aren't I?" Skye said without missing a beat.

Sakura, however, had other questions. "What are you doing here?"

Kakashi had a knowing look in his eyes when he said, "I had a feeling that the four of you'd be here."

"You're turning this into a therapy session." Gaara accuse, crossing his arms and fixing the man with a hard stare.

Kakashi shrugged, so nonchalantly that it was infuriating. "I can't visit my student and a friend's son while he's in critical condition?"

"Ulterior motives," Sai reminded him. "You seem the type to have them."

Kakashi made no move to deny it, instead saying, "He got pretty banged up back there, huh?"

"More than just that," Sakura said quietly, gaze drifting towards Naruto. "They…if it was just Sasuke he wouldn't have had a problem…but those other guys…"

"Fucker brought a _knife,_" Skye said bluntly. "And that _definitely _didn't fit in the palm of his hand."

"Language," Kakashi rebuked, but Gaara could tell his heart wasn't into it.

_Fit into his hand or not, it doesn't matter. It was a switchblade. He'll be in trouble for sure._

Gaara clenched his fists as the conversation around him turned into a blur. It wasn't _fair._ Naruto was – Gaara couldn't even explain it. It was like Naruto was the thing that made things _right _or something. Like in Chem, how you needed to have a balanced equation and if it wasn't balanced then something was wrong. They all balanced each other out, and if one of them wasn't there then shit went down.

Well, worse than usual.

Maybe _that _was why Gaara was feeling of-kilter. Or maybe – he gave a quick, pained glance at Naruto – maybe it was seeing something so vivacious, someone so lively, look like that. Like he was dead. Sleeping people you could _tell _were asleep; but this was different, because there was no question that a sleeping person would wake up if you shook them hard enough – and the question wasn't _when, _but _if _Naruto would wake up.

Gaara refused to harbor the thoughts, the threatening little tendrils of questions like, _What if he doesn't wake up? What then? _

He was grateful when Skye poked him, jerking him out of his thoughts. "You coming?" she asked.

He blinked in question.

"To Ringleaders. It's snowing hardcore out there and – well, according to Kakashi – the entire district is off tomorrow." She tugged her sleeves over her hands and zipped her jacket. _She wants to walk in the snow?_

Before he could respond, a man in his thirties walked in. "Kakashi," he said, half-surprise and half greeting. He looked stressed and a little startled at the amount of people in the room. "Uh, friends of Naruto?"

"Yea," Gaara found himself answering. He didn't miss the look Kakashi gave him, but he gave no indication that he had seen.

Iruka nodded, though the action looked a little weary. "He mentioned you," he said. "All of you."

Before an awkward silence could settle over them, Kakashi clasped his hands together and said to his students, "I called, everyone knows that tonight's class is cancelled. So feel free to do as you wish. No, I take that back. Do as you wish within reason – no, Skye, murdering the Uchiha boy does not count as _within reason._ Visiting hours are over, but start again tomorrow at is it eight? Or nine. Yea, nine."

They said their farewells and as they left, Gaara caught Iruka saying dryly, "Murdering him is _perfectly_ within reason."

"I thought," Kakashi said, without missing a beat, "That'd I'd save that honor for you."

The trip through the heavily falling snow had been worth it, Skye decided, even though it was five o clock and already dark outside and _really freakin' cold._ The hot chocolate shot with espresso at Ringleader's was amazing and hot and _ohdearindigo_ tasted good.

But still, something felt wrong. Skye couldn't place it, but it just wasn't _right, _being here without –

"Naruto," Sakura said, staring deep into her hot chocolate. Three heads turned in her direction. "It's weird," she continued, in a small voice, "Being here without him."

They murmured their agreements. "He _was _the one who convinced us to come," Sai pointed out.

None of this sat well with Skye. "Stop talking like he's dead," she said, a little more harshly than she intended. She had a bad feeling in the area between her heart and her gut. "He'd kick out asses if he found out we did that."

A beat later, she found herself wanting to apologize, but it was too late for that. "It's just," she continued, "He _has _to get better. I mean, if only for the freakin' concert. He _has to get better._"

"He will," Gaara said, as simply as saying 'the sun will rise.'

"Comatose patients," Sai said, and Skye mentally braced herself, "Can hear what's going on outside the coma. So it _is _possible to almost-wake him up, you know? Talking and stuff."

Skye shrugged and sipped her coffee. She was oddly out of words; everything she wanted to say felt wrong, even in her head.

"I'm going to visit him tomorrow," Sakura said, voice just shy of wavering.

Before anyone answered, a pair of long, masculine hands smacked down onto their table. Skye looked at them, and inwardly cringed. That ring – silver, inlaid with a single garnet surrounded by Celtic knots – was a rather distinctive trademark of one person.

Her eyes traveled up the arm – sheathed in the sleeves of a black coat – to a sharp jaw, gray eyes, and dye-blue hair.

Kev.

Next to her, Gaara tensed. Kev gave a feral smirk and said, "Heard your friend's in the ICU."

Skye felt no need to correct him, and instead said, "Go away, Kev."

Her words had no effect. "Hey, I'm not here to mess with you. Believe it or not, girl, I'm still hurtin' from last time," he shot a wicked grin at Gaara, "And my issue's with him." He sighed, and said, "No, tonight's business only."

"Define business," Skye said coolly. Sakura was curling in on herself, Sai had subtly slipped a butter knife – not that I'd do much good against a switchblade – into his hand and Kev pulled a chair from a table to the end of their booth, swung it backwards and sat. "As in," he drawled, "That there's somethin' going down you'd be interested in, girl. The rest of you, too." He spread his hands on the table and paused.

Skye's guard was up, big time. Whenever Kev decided to act charismatic, he usually either had something to say or wanted something. Usually both.

_And where's the rest of them? _Wherever there was Kev, Rynn and Kyon were usually in tow.

"What do you want?" Gaara all but growled.

Kev waved his hand. "Relax. I'm not gonna go all postal…not yet, anyway. Your friend's in bad shape, and Sasuke did that to him. Right?"

Warily, Skye nodded. "So?"

"So," Kev continued, "He had a knife."

"And how do you know this?" Sai questioned back.

"Details," Kev said with another wave of his hand. "But it was a switchblade. Illegal, right?"

"What are you getting at?" Gaara snarled.

Another of his wild grins. "So, he had to get if from someone. You catching my drift?"

"_You _gave him the knife." Sakura said flatly. "And if you did – "

Kev chuckled darkly. "No, pinkie, not quite. But hold up and hear me out. Sasuke got the knife from this guy, Kabuto. He's wanted for a buncha other stuff too – plus I have an issue with him." He left it at that.

"So you want us to tell whoever that Sasuke got his knife from Kabuto." Sai said blandly, staring at his nails.

"Bingo." Kev said. "Hell, it's a wonder that they haven't questioned you guys yet. But whatever. But when they ask about Sasuke and his knife, just tell them that he got it from Kabuto Yakushi. They'll know who you're talking about."

"Alright, and what do we get in return, huh?" Skye asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I get rid of Uchiha and his groupies for you. End, done, they won't but you no more. I promise, Skye."

Masking her shock at actually hearing her _name _coming out of Kev's mouth without a snide remark or expletive, Skye turned to the rest of them. "Well?"

Sakura was staring at her hands. "I don't trust him," she said quietly, shooting a look at Kev. "But just for the sake of getting another creep out of the world, I say yes."

Sai shrugged. "We have nothing to lose, right?"

Her eyes made contact with Gaara, and for a second there, she knew that he knew. That it didn't matter, because Kev was still doing them a favor and let's face it, Kev doesn't do favors.

_But he always keeps his promises. _Skye didn't know if that was good or bad.

"We _do _have nothing to lose," she said aloud. Gaara nodded, and they all looked at each other, and simultaneously let out a breath that none of them knew they'd been holding.

"Well," Skye said, "I kinda had been wanting to string them up by their intestines myself, but I guess we can let him take care of it."

Kev actually _smiled _at her. "That's the Skye I know. Now, good answer. Kabuto and Uchiha gone. Huh. Two birds, one stone." He stood and grinned. "Stay on your toes, now. I'll be waiting, Sabaku."

He spun on his heel, black coat flaring out behind him, and left.

_Did we just make a bargain with the devil's advocate?_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter thirty, or XXX. Depending on your view xD**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! **

**Disclaimer: I, secretsofgray, do NOT own Naruto. Oh, if only. If only, the woodpecker sighs. **

**Yea, I don't own Holes either.**

Sakura and Sai had gone home, and now it was just Gaara, Skye, and the muffled world that always creeps in when it snows. Their footsteps crunched on the snow-covered sidewalk and the snowflakes fell fast and thick. Skye wasn't really expecting conversation, but Gaara had the air of someone who had many questions racing in his head and it was probably only a matter of time before they were asked.

"When do you think Naruto will wake up?"

And there it was.

Skye frowned, not quite sure how to answer the question. "It depends on how badly he was injured, I guess. They'll probably take an X-ray of his brain to check out the damage and then go from there." She wasn't sure how accurate she was, or if Naruto even _had _any severe brain damage, but offering an 'I don't know' to Gaara's question just seemed like cheating or lying or something.

"What about Sasuke?" he asked.

"What about him?"

Gaara paused for a second, then said, "When he gets out of the hospital."

"You mean when Kev gets to him," Skye stated flatly. Gaara 'hned' so she took that as an affirmation.

"When Kev says something like that, he sure as hell means it," she said. "I don't know what he's going to do, but considering what _we'd _probably do…" she shrugged and left it at that. Whether Kev decided to threaten Sasuke or maim him was entirely up to his mood that day.

"That reminds me, how's your arm?" She was still a little too confused about what had happened at Ringleader's to actually voice her thoughts. Changing the subject was probably the best option now; besides, she was genuinely curious.

Gaara shrugged and shoved up the sleeve of the hoodie he wore. _How the hell is he never cold?_

Skye dismissed the question and took a look at his arm. The otherwise porcelain skin was marred by neat scabs that rose above his skin; it would probably scar, just like Kev intended.

"It doesn't hurt," Gaara said, shoving the sleeve back down. He was a little uncomfortable showing Skye his arm, more than a little uncomfortable with the entire Jinchuuriki situation. There was another question, one _right there, _that was begging to be asked, but Gaara wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, or even if there _was _an answer.

_But Skye would know, right?_

"Will Naruto being a Jinchuuriki affect his recovery?"

Skye opened her mouth, then closed it again. The thought had never crossed her mind, but now that Gaara brought it up, it almost made sense.

Well, about as much sense as anything could nowadays.

"I doubt it," she said finally. "I mean, he_ was _a failed experiment, right? At least, according to Kev. I – I wouldn't worry about it right now." Again, she wasn't too sure how true she was, but words had a power all their own. Maybe, if she spoke it, it'd be true. "In truth, until Naruto wakes up, I'd be watching my back if I was you. Kev's an unpredictable bastard – well, you know." She cut herself off, tugging her sleeves down over her hands.

Gaara shrugged. "I can handle _him._" If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that. His arm didn't even hurt anymore; actually, the worst thing that he felt in a while was the heavy feeling between his chest and his stomach. And now, Kev and Jinchuuriki were practically a distant memory – _Naruto _was _sick _and wouldn't _wake up._

He was brought out of his melancholy thoughts when Skye cursed. He gave her a questioning look, and she said, "We passed my house like five blocks ago. Heh."

Gaara shrugged and turned around. "I don't mind walking," he said. It was true. He actually rather_ liked _walking with Skye. It was like the whirlwind of chaos inside him was quelled and the world was manageable again. _How does that work? _

He wasn't about to question it. It was something that was stable, something that didn't hurt him or anyone around him.

And that alone was enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura opened the door and yelped.

"Sorry!" she apologized to the two police officers standing on her doorstep. One of them, a shorter, dark-haired guy with bags under his eyes had his hand poised to knock "I was just about to leave and – "

"Sakura?" it was her mother. "Why are you scream – oh." She pursed her lips as she caught sight of the cops. "What is it? Did Kaoru do something?"

The taller, lighter-haired officer cleared his throat. "No, miss. We're actually here to talk to a Sakura Haruno?" his eyes flitted to Sakura then back to her mother.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?" she asked Sakura, but the dark-haired officer interrupted. "Nothing, miss. We're just here to ask her a few questions is all. May we come in?"

Sakura's mother stepped back, lips pursed, and gave Sakura a look. Sakura swallowed and almost flinched.

The taller one extended his hand. "Officer Genma Shiranui. My partner is Officer Hayate Gekko."

Hayate didn't extend his hand. "Sorry," he said in a slightly raspy voice. "Getting over a cold."

Sakura's mother nodded. "And why are you here to talk to my daughter?"

_Way to make things awkward, mom,_ Sakura thought as Genma retracted his hand awkwardly. "We were told that she was there when the young man – Naruto Uzumaki – was allegedly stabbed?"

"_What?_"

"I told you, that's why I was in the hospital, mom," Sakura said, suppressing a sigh. "Yea, I was there," she told the policemen. A sinking feeling took over her stomach. _Shit. I'll have to tell him Kabuto's name…but what will happen if I do? And if I don't?_

_Or not,_ another side of her whispered. _You can just _not tell_. That's always an option._

Sakura blinked and swallowed.

"We need to ask your daughter some questions," Genma said. "May we sit down?"

They sat at the kitchen table, Sakura and her mother on one side and the two policemen on the other, notepads in hand. Hayate coughed, and said, "So you were there when Sasuke Uchiha stabbed Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes," Sakura answered, fiddling with the tablecloth.

"Sasuke? Her mother said. "Aren't you dating him?"

Sakura felt her face grow red, though from embarrassment or anger she couldn't tell. "_Was. _Not anymore."

To their credit, the officers took it in stride. "Right. Well, can you give us some insight as to what happened?"

Sakura bit her lip and swallowed. "No one was there when it first happened," she said. "We were all waiting for Kakashi to show up when we heard something – "

"Who's 'we'?" Genma asked.

"Me, Skye, Gaara, and Sai," Sakura listed. "And we saw them going at each other. They broke apart, and Sasuke said something to rile Naruto up – Naruto –he –he took the bait and lunged at Sasuke. But – but Sasuke had already pulled the knife and stabbed Naruto." She stopped, tried to steady her breathing.

When she was breathing okay, the officer asked, "And after that?"

"Naruto got Sasuke away from him and was jumped by three other guys. I guess Sasuke was knocked unconscious, because next thing Kakashi got rid of the others and Naruto was passed out and – "

She didn't go on. She couldn't. She had been fine ten minutes ago, when she was ready to leave to go visit Naruto and meet the others there, but now she was practically on the verge of tears.

"And Naruto? Did he have a weapon?"

"No!" Sakura burst out. "He _hates _knives," she said. "He'd _never _do anything like that! Sasuke's a stupid _bastard_ and –"

"Sakura!" her mother interrupted sharply. "Language!"

Sakura looked down at her hands and bit her lip.

Hayate cleared his throat loudly and said, "Do you know anything about knives, Sakura?"

Sakura shrugged. "Not – not really."

The man leaned back. "Do you know what a switchblade is?"

Sakura didn't trust herself to speak, so she shook her head no.

"Well," he said, "It's essentially any blade that automatically flips open when you push a button or switch on the handle. Springs right open. The laws vary region to region, but they're generally illegal, unless you're a collector. They _are _illegal in this state; _furthermore, _he used it as a deadly weapon. He is also underage, which brings the question:_ where did he get it?_ It wasn't his brother, and we're on his friends' case. But they're all minors, too. Do you have any idea, Sakura?"

And Sakura sat there mutely, staring at the tablecloth. She didn't know what to do- her gut was a mess of worry and decisions and fear. She wasn't stupid; she didn't miss what Kev had implied last night. _Sasuke could_ die.

_So could Naruto. _

She inhaled deeply through her nose. If she told them, then she'd be putting Sasuke in danger. If she _didn't_, then she'd be obstructing justice. _And who knows? It may be false information, anyway._

_But you may be the reason Sasuke gets _hurt.

_Naruto _is _hurt. And…_she clenched the tablecloth in her hands.

_And Naruto would never hurt me._

And that was all she needed. "Kabuto Yakushi," she managed. In her head, she was supposed to say it in a more eloquent manner, with some more information about it, but this was all she could say.

A look came over the officers. Hayate coughed; Gemna scribbled something down and stood. "I think you helped us out. Thank you for your time, and best wishes to your friend."

Her mother led them to the door, but Sakura stayed put.

_What did I just do? _

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye was lounging in her pajamas that morning, waiting for visiting hours to come around. She was currently occupied with an old school GBA game, Ren at her side and half an eye on her phone. Sakura was going to text her when she got to the hospital – she had wanted to get there early, she said, find out what she could about Naruto and Sasuke.

_Find out my arse. She wants to be alone with Naruto. _But Skye didn't say anything, only nodded and told Sakura to just let her know when she got there. Sakura needed that, in her opinion.

With a glance at the clock, Skye saved the game and stretched. Time to start the day.

She had just finished dressing when she heard a tap at the window.

Grateful that she had remembered to pull down the shade, Skye put it up and opened the window. "You know," she remarked dryly as Gaara swung himself in, "You _can _use the front door."

Gaara blinked at her as if she had just suggested that he streak down the street while singing Disney songs.

_Or not._

"Down, Ren!" The dog was sniffing Gaara and jumping on him, trying to lick the boy's face and barking. "Just pet him, he'll stop," Skye said, trying to suppress her laughter. "Really."

Gaara gave her another disbelieving look, but nonetheless complied. Skye decided to spare him any more awkwardness and called Ren to her. "Sorry," she said, kneeling down and giving the dog the attention he desired, rubbing his chest and neck. "For my dog assaulting you."

Gaara's mouth quirked in a way that might've been a smile.

"So what's up?" she said, standing up and brushing the dog hair off herself. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what he asked.

"Do you know how to get songs from a CD to a computer?"

Now it was Skye's turn to blink at _him_ as if her were insane. "Yea. You don't?" _Doesn't everybody?_

Gaara shook his head. "And my idiot brother doesn't know, either," he said, and added, "And my sister's out."

"Alright. Do you at least have an iPod?"

Gaara nodded. That he did have. He just didn't use it.

"Just give me a minute. I'll be right out."

Gaara nodded and swung himself out, landing lightly on Skye's front lawn.

Skye informed her sister that she was going out, grabbed her jacket and phone, and left.

"After this," Gaara said as they walked, "I'm going to head out to the hospital." He looked at Skye, and Skye understood what he was not-saying._ Do you want to come?_ "Want me and Sai to come?" she asked. "Sakura's already there."

Gaara nodded, and they were comfortable with companionable silence until Skye said, "So I guess you found songs you like, then?"

And Gaara was about to answer that, _yes,_ he had most definitely found songs that he liked, when a car drove past them. It was going slowly, as if the driver didn't know his way around. As usual, when a car goes past, you look at it. The car itself was nothing special, something forgettable but not particularly crappy, the driver a man who was in his forties. The car passed them, and Gaara continued walking; Skye, however, cursed and began calling someone.

"What?" Gaara asked flatly. Skye was hardly listening.

_Shit shit shit shithshitshitSHIT! Fey, if you don't pick up I swear to Indigo…_

Her brother answered on the second ring. "Skye?"

"Fey," she said, and her voice sounded weak even to her ears. "I just saw him. Dad – he – he was _fucking in a car on the street._"

She could hear Fey inhale, could practically visualize him as he frowned and began pacing. "What car was it?"

"I don't freakin' _know!" _she yelled. Her heart was racing now and her stomach was turning to lead. "Fey, it _was him. I'm positive._"

"Skye," Fey said, in the tone of voice boys used when you needed to _shut up and listen._ "I'm going to pick you up. Do not go back to the house. Go to a friend's house, text me the address. You're not home, are you?"

"No," she half-whispered. "Okay. I will."

"Good. I'll pick you up soon. Hang in there, kid."

"Be – be fucking _careful._" And she hung up. Her hands were shaking, and she felt like she was going to be sick.

Gaara was giving her a steely look that clearly said he demanded answers. "Explain?" he said, gesturing around.

"We need to get to your house," Skye said, collecting herself. "Like _now._"

Gaara wasn't satisfied. He grabbed her wrist and held it between them. "You're shaking."

"So?" Skye asked defensively, trying and failing to jerk her hand out of his grip. She narrowed her eyes up at him.

"That means you're scared," he said softly, letting her hand go.

_Don't be a bitch_._ After that you owe him an explanation._ "You saw that man? In the car?"

"What about him?" Gaara fell into step beside her, taking street side just in case something like _that _happened again.

Skye inhaled sharply and tugged her sleeves over her hands. "He's my father."

xxxxxxx

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	28. Chapter 28

You would think that the ER waiting room would have an unlimited capacity for tension – well it turns out that it didn't. Apparently when four distressed, angst-ridden teenagers and one mega-pissed counselor stormed in, the tension in the waiting room met its limit.

In retrospect, Kakashi might've been able to laugh at the absurdity of it all – they were quite the motley crew for a hospital setting – but right now, he was more concerned for Naruto and the two men who looked about two seconds from ripping each other's throats out. Apparently they had gotten into the fight outside of their respective son's hospital rooms, and some pissed-off nurse had told them to take it outside.

The two men had apparently translated 'outside' to mean the waiting room.

They were on the receiving end of quite a few questioning stares, but either they didn't notice or didn't care. The one man Kakashi recognized as Iruka, an old friend and Naruto's guardian. The other could only be an Uchiha, more specifically Sasuke's father.

"You're _son,_" Iruka spat the word like it was a curse, "Pulled a _knife. A motherfucking knife._ And I swear to God I'm going to press charges –"

"And that _brat,_" the other man said in the same tone, "Gave my _son _a _concussion._"

"Whoop-de-freakin'-doo," Iruka said sarcastically, wiggling his fingers for emphasis. The Uchiha's face turned red and the horrible part of Skye that was always sardonic at the worst times found it just shy of hilarious. She coughed to cover up her laughter. The fact that they were _grown men _didn't help their case.

Still, she felt like screaming to the Uchiha, _Um, are you stupid? He freakin' attacked with a knife! That's armed battery or assault or something! _ But, to her credit, she held her tongue.

Kakashi glanced at the girl, recognized the look on her face as one who is inappropriately amused, and empathized with her. Much as he wanted to either laugh at it all or slap the man, he couldn't. He was an adult, and unfortunately had to act as such.

"Instead of arguing like middle schoolers," Kakashi suggested flatly to the men, "How about you go _see _your injured wards, hmm?"

The Uchiha sniffed primly and stalked away, muttering threats of lawsuits and suing Iruka _and _Kakashi for everything, and Iruka flipped the bird to his back. "Son of a bitch," he growled.

Kakashi could only agree. "Go back to Naruto," Kakashi calmly. "He's the one who needs you right now."

And Iruka could only agree, because as usual, Kakashi was right.

The chairs were hard and uncomfortable, but Kakashi put that aside and adopted a relaxed posture for his students. "I called each of your houses," he said, careful to avoid the word _parents._ "You should be picked up at regular time, which gives us…maybe twenty minutes here."

"Lovely," Skye muttered, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve. Had it been any other time, any other situation, she would've made a remark about how big of a man-child Sasuke's father had been – well, she _figured _it was Sasuke's father – same pale skin, dark hair and eyes, not to mention the god-complex.

"Will he be okay?" Sakura asked in a small voice.

_Yea. That too. How the hell _is _Naruto doing? _

As if on cue, for heads expectantly turned to Kakashi. After all, why not? He had had all the answers thus far –from getting Naruto into the ambulance to having one of his friends drive them in a police car to the hospital while he rode in the ambulance with Naruto, to assuring the nurse that they all had legitimate reason for being there.

Kakashi felt his gut wrench. He didn't want to lie to these kids – if anything, they _deserved _the truth – but he couldn't bring himself to tell them that the possibility of Naruto (not necessarily _dying) _not being okay. So he sighed, turned to Sakura, and said, "Naruto is being treated. The knife didn't reach any organs – thank God – but he took a lot of hits, including one to the head. I'm not sure how bad it is. They're only letting family in to see him and he needed a blood transfusion."

Sai let out a breath, and that broke the stillness that everyone had been under while Kakashi spoke. "But he'll pull through, right?" he asked, because this was _Naruto _and he didn't take people's crap. "Sooner or later, right?"

He hated those words – 'sooner or later' – they left too much ambiguity, too much room to wander, too much room to _not be okay. _But what else could he say? _And, _the logical part of him chimed, _it's the perfect answer._

So, much as he wanted to kick himself, Kakashi found himself saying, "Yea." God, did he sound that old and tired all the time? "Sooner or later."

~*~~*~*~*~*~*~  
They weren't allowed to see Naruto.

Things rushed by in a blur for Sakura, as someone – Naruto's dad, or guardian, or uncle or something – rushed in, demanding to know where Naruto was. Two seconds later a severe-looking couple marched in, demanding to know where Sasuke was and what had happened, then the respective guardians were at each other's throats, and Kakashi was trying to calm things down and _why wouldn't it just stop? _

She hugged her knees tighter to herself. She wanted to be a doctor, yes, but not an emergency-room one. There was no need for any added tension – the ER itself supplied more than enough. And when there was too much tension, people snapped.

"He'll pull through," Sai said, with a confidence Sakura wished she could feel.

"How do you know?" Skye shot back nastily. Sai's face must've said something – hell, _everyone's _face looked as if they had been personally affronted – and she backtracked. "Oh shit – sorry, I –" but Sakura hardly heard her apologies.

"Just-shut-up." Sakura grit through clenched teeth. "No one needs to hear it." She didn't know where she found the steel to say that, but she was glad that she did. She couldn't take it – Naruto – Sasuke…

The image of Naruto getting stabbed repeated itself over and over in her head, like some sick scene from a bad thriller movie. And the look on his face…

_Except it's not a movie. This is real. The real fucking deal, Sakura. _

She hated it.

Temari kept giving him wary glances on the ride home, as if _he _had been the one to stab Naruto. Gaara wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. What would Temari know?

But maybe Temari had reason to worry – he youngest brother was staring out the window as usual, but she had just picked him up from the hospital and he had an air about him that screamed tension. Having a conversation with Gaara was decidedly one-sided, but she had pried a few names out of him – Naruto was one of them.

_And for Gaara to mention him _once _practically means they're best friends. And now he's hospitalized…_

"I'm visiting Naruto tomorrow," Gaara told Temari, because Gaara never asked for anything.

If Kankuro had said the same thing, she would've nodded, but because this was Gaara and Gaara rarely initiated conversation, she said, "Okay. What time do you think you'll be back?"

Gaara shrugged and went back to staring out the window. Temari pursed her lips but continued driving and Gaara did the strangest thing – he turned on the radio and popped in a CD produced from his bag.

Temari was surprised – so surprised that she narrowly avoided a collision by slamming on the brakes and cursing creatively and liberally, covering up how surprised she was. _Gaara? Listening to _music? _He's never showed any interest before…_ She vaguely recognized the music as something Kankuro listened to, but she didn't remember ever seeing the two together about music and Kankuro probably would've mentioned something like that to her anyways.

A small, rare smile graced her lips and she allowed herself a small sigh. Whatever had been going on these past couple months had definitely done Gaara some good. "What band is this?" she asked him, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be called something like, _Fucking with the Devil 666 _or _As I Rip Your Heart Out._

"Shattered," was his reply.

And Temari nodded, satisfied, because two answers from Gaara in one car ride was unprecedented and Kankuro was making tacos tonight.

Gaara, however, was in a bout of what could only be described as chaos. He didn't like it. He felt something inside his chest, something heavy and feral that wanted to beat the crap out of Sasuke and his groupies. He wasn't stupid – he knew what was going to happen. Naruto was in bad condition, and Sasuke had been in possession of a knife – an illegal one. That was battery or assault or something – Naruto had every right to press charges, if Sasuke wasn't in trouble already for possession of an illegal weapon.

That was going to be the aftermath – but _when was Naruto going to get better? _

The nurse had said that they could visit him tomorrow, but tonight was restricted to family only. When they had asked how he was doing, she surveyed them, taking in their desperate looks and wide eyes. She had shaken her head and said, "He's hanging in there, but we're not sure. He needed a blood transfusion."

Something about her words didn't sit right with Gaara. He mulled over them, trying to find what it was, and then decided that it was how she hadn't made eye contact with any of them – particularly him.

A frown crossed over his face. Naruto _had _to get better. The idea of Naruto not recovering was simply unfathomable. Naruto _had _to get better – he was _Naruto. _It was like Sakura going skitzo or Skye not being sarcastic – bouncing back was a part of Naruto that made him Naruto.

And he couldn't decide if the music was helping. Yesterday, before all this, Skye had thrust a several CDs into his hand and told him to listen, to find out what he liked.

"_Why?" he had asked, fumbling and almost dropping one of the CDs. _

_Without missing a beat, she had caught it before it hit the ground and stuck it inside an open flap on his bag. "Why what?" _

"_Why do you like music so much?" Sure, Shattered had been, well, good, but why all this other stuff? It seemed quite a lot, and he doubted that she could like all of the nearly two thousand songs on her iPod. _

_Skye had paused a minute, then said, "It's…huh. It's like my own personal therapist, or something. Tells me what I need to hear, you know?"_

_And Gaara had nodded and put the rest of his CDs in his bag, because Skye had answered well enough and he was, despite himself, curious. _

Now he didn't know if it was what he wanted to hear – the lyrics were aggressive, the instruments violent.

And all he could think about right now was how much he wanted to rip that _bastard's _throat out.

_When Sasuke gets out of that hospital,_ he promised himself, _I swear I'll put him back in there._

"_This _is what happens when you go out?!" Terra was incredulous. Skye rolled her eyes at her sister. "Yes, what's it to you?" She shot back. She really wasn't in the mood to defend her friends or argue with Terra. All she wanted to do was sleep and possibly plot the murder of Sasuke and Co.

Terra glared at her through the rearview mirror. She knew damn well that her little sister sat in the back in hopes of avoiding confrontations like these, but dammit, Skye wasn't getting out of this one. "Hello? Your friend got _stabbed._ In front of a _church _–"

"Yea, you're the only religious one here," Skye drawled in a way that she knew would make her sister's skin crawl. "And it's freaking abandoned."

"It's the principle of the thing," Terra shot back snidely. _Eat your words. _Skye had said the same thing not long ago, and Terra had wanted to shoot those words back at her for ages. She knew she was being petty, but still. Someone needed to be the voice of reason or an argument with Skye. If there wasn't, dear God, they'd be _swimming _in pools of sarcasm.

"What? That no one blindly follows anything in this family but you?" Skye retorted. Terra bit back a nasty remark and focused on driving. She wasn't about to have this argument, _again, _with Skye. It was a losing battle on her part, and Skye knew it.

Fey had been influencing her too much, it seemed.

"She has to come to terms with everything," Fey had said, anger simmering just below his words. "And so do I. And if that mean rejecting every last damn thing that stinks of _them, _then I'm all for it."

Terra knew that when Fey said something, he damn well meant it, but still she had been surprised at how much 'every last damn thing' had encompassed. The only reason they had decided to keep the house was because it was in a good neighborhood and the mortgage was paid off – Skye called it _the only good thing they did for us._

Terra sighed but said nothing for the rest of the ride home. Skye had put her headphones one, which meant that she probably wouldn't hear anything, even if she cared.

And Skye didn't care. Her gut was a mess of worry and stress and anger, and all she wanted was for the music to take her away.

~*~*~*~*~  
Sakura didn't go to school the next day. She had woken up, told her mother that she didn't feel good – and she didn't, _at all – _and her mother must've seen something on her face because she pressed a cool hand against her forehead, nodded and said, "Go back to sleep, honey."

It was a rare moment of affection, but Sakura felt no inclination to respond. She felt like _shit _and all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a week. _Naruto…_

But then she'd think of Sasuke and a swirl of rage would whip around her belly – and then last night would replay in her head, from Naruto being stabbed to the look on his face and his words.

"_See you in hell._"

Sakura shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memories. She burrowed under the covers of her bed because no matter how old you were, _nothing _could touch you under the covers.

At some point she must've fallen asleep, because she was woken up by her phone ringing. It was a text, and Sakura lay there – under the covers, hand on her phone – for a good five minutes before she actually _read _it.

_Coming to your house. Visiting N. Be ready in 10. _

_-Skye. _

Sakura rubbed her eyes and sat up._ Visiting Naruto, huh? _She sat there, covers pooled around her waist, for another good five minutes before she actually got up to get ready. She dressed herself and brushed her teeth mechanically, left a note for her brother, sent a text to her mother, and glanced at the clock. Nearly twenty minutes since she had received the text.

Skye was late.

"They're staring at us," Gaara muttered as he, Skye, and Sai walked down the streets of what you could call the epitome of suburbia. It was the newer part of the development, which was where Sakura lived.

Sai shrugged. "Maybe they're checking you out."

Gaara blinked. _Was that some kind of joke?_ But before he had a chance to ask the boy – or strangle him, whichever his senses told him to do – Skye said, "Are you surprised? And this is her house." She walked up the cobblestone pathway that led to a rather ornate front door, taking her cell phone out of her pocket and dialing a number.

But Sakura was already at the door. Wordlessly, Skye shoved her phone back into her pocket. "Let's go."

"You're walking all the way to the hospital?" Sakura asked, incredulous.

Sai shook his head. "I know a short cut. C'mon."

Sakura was too wound up about seeing Naruto to wrinkle her nose at the trek through the cold, damp woods that Sai's short cut had encompassed. They waited in front of the desk as the attendant there surveyed them with hard eyes.

Sakura knew how they must look to the nurse. Sai was in his basic black ensemble and Skye wasn't much better, though to her credit her shirt was mostly a deep purple. Sakura supposed that she was okay, but the rips in her jeans (some of them recently acquired, she'd like to add) and her messy hair weren't helping her case.

Gaara, however, took the cake, solely for the fact that one needed to look no further than his _eyes, _which appeared to be done up in more eyeliner or kohl than Sakura would use in a week, let alone the rest of his attire. Seriously, were those _bondage _pants?

But now she was more concerned with the fact that this lady might not let them see Naruto than the technical term for Gaara's _pants. _

They had scarcely said three words and already Skye was arguing for their case.

"Look," Skye said, "He's our _friend. _Have you ever read _The Outsiders?_"

Sai threw Skye a look, as did the lady behind the desk. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Johnny's friends were Greasers and all but they still got to see him! And if they hadn't seen him, he would've died alone!"

It took Skye two seconds to realize what she had just implied. "Shit…no! I didn't mean it like that – gragh, open foot, insert mouth –"

"Ignore her," Sai said, one hand restraining Skye and the other over her mouth. "She tends to do that."

"Please?" Sakura said. "We won't cause any trouble, I swear. He's our _friend._ And he's hurt –really hurt."

Inwardly, the woman behind the desk was amused. She had hardly said two words to these kids and they were already begging. She sighed and said, "You must be for Uzumaki or Uchiha, am I correct?"

Given their age, they had to be for one of them. But something about these kids was off – something about them was oddly _adult. _Not necessarily _mature, _no, but they lacked something that teenagers usually had.

"Uzumaki," the red-haired boy with the makeup said, as if he was offended that she even _suggested _that they'd be there to see Uchiha.

Apparently they didn't lack attitude.

"Left wrist, up here," she said, and commenced to place a red hospital band around their wrists, masking her surprised when her fingertips brushed against the pink-haired girl's arm. There was no question – she felt scars there.

But she kept her face impassive as she put the bands on each teenager, then said, "He's in room 2-77. Second floor, right wing. Visiting hours end at eight."

And they all nodded, and the pink-haired girl thanked her before they went on their way.

She watched them go, and couldn't help but wish them luck.

Even if she didn't have any idea how much that they were going to need it.


	29. Chapter 29

Gaara frowned as he walked into Naruto's room. It smelled weird – like antiseptic and chemicals and latex gloves – and the too-bright lighting didn't sit well with him. He didn't like the way it made things look. Naruto looked pasty and gaunt and so…so _fragile._

The boy was lying on the hospital bed, bandaged up, with an IV sticking out of his arm and a machine hooked up to _somewhere, _because it was beeping steadily. A nurse was in the room, but she was standing just outside now, to give them some privacy.

Gaara wanted to snort. Privacy in hospitals was just shy of impossible – he would know.

"Comatose," Sakura repeated, as if the word were a strange, foreign one with a complicated meaning. "Naruto's…in a coma."

They weren't allowed to touch him; Sakura must've remembered that, because she jerked her hand away from Naruto's forehead, as if she were to brush his hair back. She looked away, around the room. It was relatively empty, the only furniture beside the gurney being the nightstand and two chairs. The walls were white and a single window let the meager light stream in through the half-drawn blinds.

"He should be like that for an undetermined amount of time," Sai said, reading a medical report that was near Naruto's bedside – the nurse had left her clipboard in the room. "It's not a severe coma, though. He's in it for unknown reasons – there's neither brain damage nor a head injury."

Gaara frowned and looked away from Naruto, if only because he was unnaturally still.

"What about Sasuke?" Sakura wondered aloud, sounding half-scared of the answer.

"He deserves to be dead," Skye said flatly. "And if he's not, I'll personally give him a thousand deaths so terrible he'll beg for _every single one of them. Dammit!_" She was absolutely seething now, almost like Temari when Kankuro did something particularly stupid.

"Skye, do you need to talk about something?" Kakashi's voice sounded from behind them.

They all whirled. Their counselor stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame like he belonged there.

"I _am_ in therapy, aren't I?" Skye said without missing a beat.

Sakura, however, had other questions. "What are you doing here?"

Kakashi had a knowing look in his eyes when he said, "I had a feeling that the four of you'd be here."

"You're turning this into a therapy session." Gaara accuse, crossing his arms and fixing the man with a hard stare.

Kakashi shrugged, so nonchalantly that it was infuriating. "I can't visit my student and a friend's son while he's in critical condition?"

"Ulterior motives," Sai reminded him. "You seem the type to have them."

Kakashi made no move to deny it, instead saying, "He got pretty banged up back there, huh?"

"More than just that," Sakura said quietly, gaze drifting towards Naruto. "They…if it was just Sasuke he wouldn't have had a problem…but those other guys…"

"Fucker brought a _knife,_" Skye said bluntly. "And that _definitely _didn't fit in the palm of his hand."

"Language," Kakashi rebuked, but Gaara could tell his heart wasn't into it.

_Fit into his hand or not, it doesn't matter. It was a switchblade. He'll be in trouble for sure._

Gaara clenched his fists as the conversation around him turned into a blur. It wasn't _fair._ Naruto was – Gaara couldn't even explain it. It was like Naruto was the thing that made things _right _or something. Like in Chem, how you needed to have a balanced equation and if it wasn't balanced then something was wrong. They all balanced each other out, and if one of them wasn't there then shit went down.

Well, worse than usual.

Maybe _that _was why Gaara was feeling of-kilter. Or maybe – he gave a quick, pained glance at Naruto – maybe it was seeing something so vivacious, someone so lively, look like that. Like he was dead. Sleeping people you could _tell _were asleep; but this was different, because there was no question that a sleeping person would wake up if you shook them hard enough – and the question wasn't _when, _but _if _Naruto would wake up.

Gaara refused to harbor the thoughts, the threatening little tendrils of questions like, _What if he doesn't wake up? What then? _

He was grateful when Skye poked him, jerking him out of his thoughts. "You coming?" she asked.

He blinked in question.

"To Ringleaders. It's snowing hardcore out there and – well, according to Kakashi – the entire district is off tomorrow." She tugged her sleeves over her hands and zipped her jacket. _She wants to walk in the snow?_

Before he could respond, a man in his thirties walked in. "Kakashi," he said, half-surprise and half greeting. He looked stressed and a little startled at the amount of people in the room. "Uh, friends of Naruto?"

"Yea," Gaara found himself answering. He didn't miss the look Kakashi gave him, but he gave no indication that he had seen.

Iruka nodded, though the action looked a little weary. "He mentioned you," he said. "All of you."

Before an awkward silence could settle over them, Kakashi clasped his hands together and said to his students, "I called, everyone knows that tonight's class is cancelled. So feel free to do as you wish. No, I take that back. Do as you wish within reason – no, Skye, murdering the Uchiha boy does not count as _within reason._ Visiting hours are over, but start again tomorrow at is it eight? Or nine. Yea, nine."

They said their farewells and as they left, Gaara caught Iruka saying dryly, "Murdering him is _perfectly_ within reason."

"I thought," Kakashi said, without missing a beat, "That'd I'd save that honor for you."

The trip through the heavily falling snow had been worth it, Skye decided, even though it was five o clock and already dark outside and _really freakin' cold._ The hot chocolate shot with espresso at Ringleader's was amazing and hot and _ohdearindigo_ tasted good.

But still, something felt wrong. Skye couldn't place it, but it just wasn't _right, _being here without –

"Naruto," Sakura said, staring deep into her hot chocolate. Three heads turned in her direction. "It's weird," she continued, in a small voice, "Being here without him."

They murmured their agreements. "He _was _the one who convinced us to come," Sai pointed out.

None of this sat well with Skye. "Stop talking like he's dead," she said, a little more harshly than she intended. She had a bad feeling in the area between her heart and her gut. "He'd kick out asses if he found out we did that."

A beat later, she found herself wanting to apologize, but it was too late for that. "It's just," she continued, "He _has _to get better. I mean, if only for the freakin' concert. He _has to get better._"

"He will," Gaara said, as simply as saying 'the sun will rise.'

"Comatose patients," Sai said, and Skye mentally braced herself, "Can hear what's going on outside the coma. So it _is _possible to almost-wake him up, you know? Talking and stuff."

Skye shrugged and sipped her coffee. She was oddly out of words; everything she wanted to say felt wrong, even in her head.

"I'm going to visit him tomorrow," Sakura said, voice just shy of wavering.

Before anyone answered, a pair of long, masculine hands smacked down onto their table. Skye looked at them, and inwardly cringed. That ring – silver, inlaid with a single garnet surrounded by Celtic knots – was a rather distinctive trademark of one person.

Her eyes traveled up the arm – sheathed in the sleeves of a black coat – to a sharp jaw, gray eyes, and dye-blue hair.

Kev.

Next to her, Gaara tensed. Kev gave a feral smirk and said, "Heard your friend's in the ICU."

Skye felt no need to correct him, and instead said, "Go away, Kev."

Her words had no effect. "Hey, I'm not here to mess with you. Believe it or not, girl, I'm still hurtin' from last time," he shot a wicked grin at Gaara, "And my issue's with him." He sighed, and said, "No, tonight's business only."

"Define business," Skye said coolly. Sakura was curling in on herself, Sai had subtly slipped a butter knife – not that I'd do much good against a switchblade – into his hand and Kev pulled a chair from a table to the end of their booth, swung it backwards and sat. "As in," he drawled, "That there's somethin' going down you'd be interested in, girl. The rest of you, too." He spread his hands on the table and paused.

Skye's guard was up, big time. Whenever Kev decided to act charismatic, he usually either had something to say or wanted something. Usually both.

_And where's the rest of them? _Wherever there was Kev, Rynn and Kyon were usually in tow.

"What do you want?" Gaara all but growled.

Kev waved his hand. "Relax. I'm not gonna go all postal…not yet, anyway. Your friend's in bad shape, and Sasuke did that to him. Right?"

Warily, Skye nodded. "So?"

"So," Kev continued, "He had a knife."

"And how do you know this?" Sai questioned back.

"Details," Kev said with another wave of his hand. "But it was a switchblade. Illegal, right?"

"What are you getting at?" Gaara snarled.

Another of his wild grins. "So, he had to get if from someone. You catching my drift?"

"_You _gave him the knife." Sakura said flatly. "And if you did – "

Kev chuckled darkly. "No, pinkie, not quite. But hold up and hear me out. Sasuke got the knife from this guy, Kabuto. He's wanted for a buncha other stuff too – plus I have an issue with him." He left it at that.

"So you want us to tell whoever that Sasuke got his knife from Kabuto." Sai said blandly, staring at his nails.

"Bingo." Kev said. "Hell, it's a wonder that they haven't questioned you guys yet. But whatever. But when they ask about Sasuke and his knife, just tell them that he got it from Kabuto Yakushi. They'll know who you're talking about."

"Alright, and what do we get in return, huh?" Skye asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I get rid of Uchiha and his groupies for you. End, done, they won't but you no more. I promise, Skye."

Masking her shock at actually hearing her _name _coming out of Kev's mouth without a snide remark or expletive, Skye turned to the rest of them. "Well?"

Sakura was staring at her hands. "I don't trust him," she said quietly, shooting a look at Kev. "But just for the sake of getting another creep out of the world, I say yes."

Sai shrugged. "We have nothing to lose, right?"

Her eyes made contact with Gaara, and for a second there, she knew that he knew. That it didn't matter, because Kev was still doing them a favor and let's face it, Kev doesn't do favors.

_But he always keeps his promises. _Skye didn't know if that was good or bad.

"We _do _have nothing to lose," she said aloud. Gaara nodded, and they all looked at each other, and simultaneously let out a breath that none of them knew they'd been holding.

"Well," Skye said, "I kinda had been wanting to string them up by their intestines myself, but I guess we can let him take care of it."

Kev actually _smiled _at her. "That's the Skye I know. Now, good answer. Kabuto and Uchiha gone. Huh. Two birds, one stone." He stood and grinned. "Stay on your toes, now. I'll be waiting, Sabaku."

He spun on his heel, black coat flaring out behind him, and left.

_Did we just make a bargain with the devil's advocate?_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter thirty, or XXX. Depending on your view xD**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! **

**Disclaimer: I, secretsofgray, do NOT own Naruto. Oh, if only. If only, the woodpecker sighs. **

**Yea, I don't own Holes either.**

Sakura and Sai had gone home, and now it was just Gaara, Skye, and the muffled world that always creeps in when it snows. Their footsteps crunched on the snow-covered sidewalk and the snowflakes fell fast and thick. Skye wasn't really expecting conversation, but Gaara had the air of someone who had many questions racing in his head and it was probably only a matter of time before they were asked.

"When do you think Naruto will wake up?"

And there it was.

Skye frowned, not quite sure how to answer the question. "It depends on how badly he was injured, I guess. They'll probably take an X-ray of his brain to check out the damage and then go from there." She wasn't sure how accurate she was, or if Naruto even _had _any severe brain damage, but offering an 'I don't know' to Gaara's question just seemed like cheating or lying or something.

"What about Sasuke?" he asked.

"What about him?"

Gaara paused for a second, then said, "When he gets out of the hospital."

"You mean when Kev gets to him," Skye stated flatly. Gaara 'hned' so she took that as an affirmation.

"When Kev says something like that, he sure as hell means it," she said. "I don't know what he's going to do, but considering what _we'd _probably do…" she shrugged and left it at that. Whether Kev decided to threaten Sasuke or maim him was entirely up to his mood that day.

"That reminds me, how's your arm?" She was still a little too confused about what had happened at Ringleader's to actually voice her thoughts. Changing the subject was probably the best option now; besides, she was genuinely curious.

Gaara shrugged and shoved up the sleeve of the hoodie he wore. _How the hell is he never cold?_

Skye dismissed the question and took a look at his arm. The otherwise porcelain skin was marred by neat scabs that rose above his skin; it would probably scar, just like Kev intended.

"It doesn't hurt," Gaara said, shoving the sleeve back down. He was a little uncomfortable showing Skye his arm, more than a little uncomfortable with the entire Jinchuuriki situation. There was another question, one _right there, _that was begging to be asked, but Gaara wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, or even if there _was _an answer.

_But Skye would know, right?_

"Will Naruto being a Jinchuuriki affect his recovery?"

Skye opened her mouth, then closed it again. The thought had never crossed her mind, but now that Gaara brought it up, it almost made sense.

Well, about as much sense as anything could nowadays.

"I doubt it," she said finally. "I mean, he_ was _a failed experiment, right? At least, according to Kev. I – I wouldn't worry about it right now." Again, she wasn't too sure how true she was, but words had a power all their own. Maybe, if she spoke it, it'd be true. "In truth, until Naruto wakes up, I'd be watching my back if I was you. Kev's an unpredictable bastard – well, you know." She cut herself off, tugging her sleeves down over her hands.

Gaara shrugged. "I can handle _him._" If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that. His arm didn't even hurt anymore; actually, the worst thing that he felt in a while was the heavy feeling between his chest and his stomach. And now, Kev and Jinchuuriki were practically a distant memory – _Naruto _was _sick _and wouldn't _wake up._

He was brought out of his melancholy thoughts when Skye cursed. He gave her a questioning look, and she said, "We passed my house like five blocks ago. Heh."

Gaara shrugged and turned around. "I don't mind walking," he said. It was true. He actually rather_ liked _walking with Skye. It was like the whirlwind of chaos inside him was quelled and the world was manageable again. _How does that work? _

He wasn't about to question it. It was something that was stable, something that didn't hurt him or anyone around him.

And that alone was enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura opened the door and yelped.

"Sorry!" she apologized to the two police officers standing on her doorstep. One of them, a shorter, dark-haired guy with bags under his eyes had his hand poised to knock "I was just about to leave and – "

"Sakura?" it was her mother. "Why are you scream – oh." She pursed her lips as she caught sight of the cops. "What is it? Did Kaoru do something?"

The taller, lighter-haired officer cleared his throat. "No, miss. We're actually here to talk to a Sakura Haruno?" his eyes flitted to Sakura then back to her mother.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?" she asked Sakura, but the dark-haired officer interrupted. "Nothing, miss. We're just here to ask her a few questions is all. May we come in?"

Sakura's mother stepped back, lips pursed, and gave Sakura a look. Sakura swallowed and almost flinched.

The taller one extended his hand. "Officer Genma Shiranui. My partner is Officer Hayate Gekko."

Hayate didn't extend his hand. "Sorry," he said in a slightly raspy voice. "Getting over a cold."

Sakura's mother nodded. "And why are you here to talk to my daughter?"

_Way to make things awkward, mom,_ Sakura thought as Genma retracted his hand awkwardly. "We were told that she was there when the young man – Naruto Uzumaki – was allegedly stabbed?"

"_What?_"

"I told you, that's why I was in the hospital, mom," Sakura said, suppressing a sigh. "Yea, I was there," she told the policemen. A sinking feeling took over her stomach. _Shit. I'll have to tell him Kabuto's name…but what will happen if I do? And if I don't?_

_Or not,_ another side of her whispered. _You can just _not tell_. That's always an option._

Sakura blinked and swallowed.

"We need to ask your daughter some questions," Genma said. "May we sit down?"

They sat at the kitchen table, Sakura and her mother on one side and the two policemen on the other, notepads in hand. Hayate coughed, and said, "So you were there when Sasuke Uchiha stabbed Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes," Sakura answered, fiddling with the tablecloth.

"Sasuke? Her mother said. "Aren't you dating him?"

Sakura felt her face grow red, though from embarrassment or anger she couldn't tell. "_Was. _Not anymore."

To their credit, the officers took it in stride. "Right. Well, can you give us some insight as to what happened?"

Sakura bit her lip and swallowed. "No one was there when it first happened," she said. "We were all waiting for Kakashi to show up when we heard something – "

"Who's 'we'?" Genma asked.

"Me, Skye, Gaara, and Sai," Sakura listed. "And we saw them going at each other. They broke apart, and Sasuke said something to rile Naruto up – Naruto –he –he took the bait and lunged at Sasuke. But – but Sasuke had already pulled the knife and stabbed Naruto." She stopped, tried to steady her breathing.

When she was breathing okay, the officer asked, "And after that?"

"Naruto got Sasuke away from him and was jumped by three other guys. I guess Sasuke was knocked unconscious, because next thing Kakashi got rid of the others and Naruto was passed out and – "

She didn't go on. She couldn't. She had been fine ten minutes ago, when she was ready to leave to go visit Naruto and meet the others there, but now she was practically on the verge of tears.

"And Naruto? Did he have a weapon?"

"No!" Sakura burst out. "He _hates _knives," she said. "He'd _never _do anything like that! Sasuke's a stupid _bastard_ and –"

"Sakura!" her mother interrupted sharply. "Language!"

Sakura looked down at her hands and bit her lip.

Hayate cleared his throat loudly and said, "Do you know anything about knives, Sakura?"

Sakura shrugged. "Not – not really."

The man leaned back. "Do you know what a switchblade is?"

Sakura didn't trust herself to speak, so she shook her head no.

"Well," he said, "It's essentially any blade that automatically flips open when you push a button or switch on the handle. Springs right open. The laws vary region to region, but they're generally illegal, unless you're a collector. They _are _illegal in this state; _furthermore, _he used it as a deadly weapon. He is also underage, which brings the question:_ where did he get it?_ It wasn't his brother, and we're on his friends' case. But they're all minors, too. Do you have any idea, Sakura?"

And Sakura sat there mutely, staring at the tablecloth. She didn't know what to do- her gut was a mess of worry and decisions and fear. She wasn't stupid; she didn't miss what Kev had implied last night. _Sasuke could_ die.

_So could Naruto. _

She inhaled deeply through her nose. If she told them, then she'd be putting Sasuke in danger. If she _didn't_, then she'd be obstructing justice. _And who knows? It may be false information, anyway._

_But you may be the reason Sasuke gets _hurt.

_Naruto _is _hurt. And…_she clenched the tablecloth in her hands.

_And Naruto would never hurt me._

And that was all she needed. "Kabuto Yakushi," she managed. In her head, she was supposed to say it in a more eloquent manner, with some more information about it, but this was all she could say.

A look came over the officers. Hayate coughed; Gemna scribbled something down and stood. "I think you helped us out. Thank you for your time, and best wishes to your friend."

Her mother led them to the door, but Sakura stayed put.

_What did I just do? _

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye was lounging in her pajamas that morning, waiting for visiting hours to come around. She was currently occupied with an old school GBA game, Ren at her side and half an eye on her phone. Sakura was going to text her when she got to the hospital – she had wanted to get there early, she said, find out what she could about Naruto and Sasuke.

_Find out my arse. She wants to be alone with Naruto. _But Skye didn't say anything, only nodded and told Sakura to just let her know when she got there. Sakura needed that, in her opinion.

With a glance at the clock, Skye saved the game and stretched. Time to start the day.

She had just finished dressing when she heard a tap at the window.

Grateful that she had remembered to pull down the shade, Skye put it up and opened the window. "You know," she remarked dryly as Gaara swung himself in, "You _can _use the front door."

Gaara blinked at her as if she had just suggested that he streak down the street while singing Disney songs.

_Or not._

"Down, Ren!" The dog was sniffing Gaara and jumping on him, trying to lick the boy's face and barking. "Just pet him, he'll stop," Skye said, trying to suppress her laughter. "Really."

Gaara gave her another disbelieving look, but nonetheless complied. Skye decided to spare him any more awkwardness and called Ren to her. "Sorry," she said, kneeling down and giving the dog the attention he desired, rubbing his chest and neck. "For my dog assaulting you."

Gaara's mouth quirked in a way that might've been a smile.

"So what's up?" she said, standing up and brushing the dog hair off herself. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what he asked.

"Do you know how to get songs from a CD to a computer?"

Now it was Skye's turn to blink at _him_ as if her were insane. "Yea. You don't?" _Doesn't everybody?_

Gaara shook his head. "And my idiot brother doesn't know, either," he said, and added, "And my sister's out."

"Alright. Do you at least have an iPod?"

Gaara nodded. That he did have. He just didn't use it.

"Just give me a minute. I'll be right out."

Gaara nodded and swung himself out, landing lightly on Skye's front lawn.

Skye informed her sister that she was going out, grabbed her jacket and phone, and left.

"After this," Gaara said as they walked, "I'm going to head out to the hospital." He looked at Skye, and Skye understood what he was not-saying._ Do you want to come?_ "Want me and Sai to come?" she asked. "Sakura's already there."

Gaara nodded, and they were comfortable with companionable silence until Skye said, "So I guess you found songs you like, then?"

And Gaara was about to answer that, _yes,_ he had most definitely found songs that he liked, when a car drove past them. It was going slowly, as if the driver didn't know his way around. As usual, when a car goes past, you look at it. The car itself was nothing special, something forgettable but not particularly crappy, the driver a man who was in his forties. The car passed them, and Gaara continued walking; Skye, however, cursed and began calling someone.

"What?" Gaara asked flatly. Skye was hardly listening.

_Shit shit shit shithshitshitSHIT! Fey, if you don't pick up I swear to Indigo…_

Her brother answered on the second ring. "Skye?"

"Fey," she said, and her voice sounded weak even to her ears. "I just saw him. Dad – he – he was _fucking in a car on the street._"

She could hear Fey inhale, could practically visualize him as he frowned and began pacing. "What car was it?"

"I don't freakin' _know!" _she yelled. Her heart was racing now and her stomach was turning to lead. "Fey, it _was him. I'm positive._"

"Skye," Fey said, in the tone of voice boys used when you needed to _shut up and listen._ "I'm going to pick you up. Do not go back to the house. Go to a friend's house, text me the address. You're not home, are you?"

"No," she half-whispered. "Okay. I will."

"Good. I'll pick you up soon. Hang in there, kid."

"Be – be fucking _careful._" And she hung up. Her hands were shaking, and she felt like she was going to be sick.

Gaara was giving her a steely look that clearly said he demanded answers. "Explain?" he said, gesturing around.

"We need to get to your house," Skye said, collecting herself. "Like _now._"

Gaara wasn't satisfied. He grabbed her wrist and held it between them. "You're shaking."

"So?" Skye asked defensively, trying and failing to jerk her hand out of his grip. She narrowed her eyes up at him.

"That means you're scared," he said softly, letting her hand go.

_Don't be a bitch_._ After that you owe him an explanation._ "You saw that man? In the car?"

"What about him?" Gaara fell into step beside her, taking street side just in case something like _that _happened again.

Skye inhaled sharply and tugged her sleeves over her hands. "He's my father."

xxxxxxx

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	31. Chapter 31

**Another chapter, another day, another…**

**Hell, I dunno. **

**Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**The Silence of the Lambs**_** or Naruto. Or Anthony Hopkins. **

After the police left and another altogether more intense interrogation by her mother, Sakura had made it to the hospital. Her mother had insisted on driving her, and along the way Sakura had been asked even _more _questions.

"So you met this boy at therapy." Not a question, really; it was stated in the way when you don't know if they're expecting an answer or not.

Sakura's mother apparently was. "Well?"

"He's my friend," Sakura said quietly. "He – he's a _nice guy._"

"In therapy."

"_I'm _in therapy," Sakura said, a little hurt that her mother would make an assumption like that. "It's not like he's psychotic."

Her mother pursed her lips. "I didn't know you broke up with Sasuke."

_You also didn't know that your daughter - _ no, no, she couldn't finish that thought. If she finished the thought, then she'd make it into words. Making it into words would just open up quite the can of worms, wouldn't it?

"When did you?" her mother's tone softened. "Last year? Just because you're father – "

"It had nothing to do with that," Sakura said shortly. It had spawned from that, maybe, but now she couldn't even imagine going back to her former life. An epiphany had come to her when the cops were leaving (along with a mixed sense of relief and dread about giving them Kabuto's name): she was so tense, so uptight _now_ because Naruto was in the ICU. She didn't know when, but somewhere after being in Kakashi's therapy class and before well, _this,_ she had relaxed for the first time in months.

Before this, Before the memories surfaced and Before it started again, Before she had cut, when she was dating Sasuke, she had _never _felt relief.

It was one of those things – being constantly stressed had been the norm, so she hadn't known what true fun, true _friends _were.

_Was all this some morbid form of a blessing in disguise? _

It didn't matter, though, because it was all on the brink of being taken from her.

Her hands clenched into fists.

_Over my dead body._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gaara locked the door behind them as they entered his house. Skye was practically hiding behind him and he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

Music seemed mundane right now, but Skye said, "So, uh, where's the computer?"

"You still want to do that?"

She shrugged. "I'm here. Might as well." Truthfully, she just needed something to occupy her mind. Her gut was a knot of lead and fury and dread, and her hands were shaking.

He led her to the living room, where his laptop lay after feeble attempts on both his and his brother's part to upload the CDs. Next to the couch were the CDs, all in disarray.

Skye sat down and opened up the laptop and Gaara took a seat next to her. The next twenty minutes were spent explaining to Gaara the inner functions of iTunes and music and CDs.

"This one," Gaara reached over and plucked a particular disc from the pile, "It's different."

Skye peered at the scrawl on the front of it; it took her a second to recognize what she had written. _Oh the downfalls of a ten-year-old boy's handwriting._ "Yea. It's a symphony orchestra, and some tracks also have a metal band playing alongside it."

Before he could say anything, Skye's phone rang. _Fey._

"I'm outside," he said.

"I'll be right there." Skye hoped she imagined the waver in her brother's voice. She hung up, transferred the computer to the couch, and stood. "He's here."

Gaara followed suit, walking her to the door and then outside. "What's going to happen?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I'll – stop by the hospital – you can come if you want - then stay at Fey's. Yea. That's probably what I'll do." She opened the door and hesitated a second longer than usual before stepping outside.

Her brother was leaning against his car, arms crossed and foot tapping. He locked his gaze on them and said as they approached, "You're okay?"

Skye nodded, and tugged her sleeves down over _her_ hands. "Fine. So, uh, instead of going back – "

"We're not going back," Fey said quietly. "I told Terra. Her boyfriend's going to stay at the house with Ren, tell _him_ that it was sold and everything. She's at a friend's house. You're staying with me. But for now – sorry, is that what you meant?"

Skye nodded and felt her stomach sink a little. If Fey was rambling, thinking without speaking, being like _her, _then he was nervous. _Maybe a hospital's not the best place to have him, then._

She brushed off the thought. _Knowing Fey, he'd probably appreciate me giving him something to do._ "Yea. Uh, a friend of ours –" she gestured to Gaara – "Is in the hospital. Really bad shape. Can we – you know. See him?"

Fey nodded and said to Gaara, "You were with her the time that blond got beat, right?" He extended a hand. "Fey."

Gaara hesitated a moment; Skye was almost positive that he wasn't going to actually shake hands with her brother, but he surprised them both and did. "Gaara."

Their hands were connected for a lesser amount of time than normal, and it could have made for an awkward moment, but Fey (social butterfly as usual) rescued the situation before it needed rescuing. "If you two are ready, let's go."

Xxxxxxxxx

Naruto hadn't changed since yesterday. His face was pale save for the bruises – _guess they got rid of the makeup -_ his eyes were shut, and he was _so still_.

It wasn't like he was sleeping; sleeping people have an air about them that _lets you know their sleeping. _Naruto had no such atmosphere. It was like the air around him was from a different world – Sakura was instantly reminded of Snow White, when she was placed in the casket-like tomb to await her prince.

_Don't think like that. _

It was hard not too – if it weren't for the constant _beep_ of the machinery by his bedside. The nurse must've saw her staring, because she came over and said, "One of those," she gestured to a machine, "Measures his heart activity. The other is brain activity. See how it spiked? It means he's dreaming." She paused and squeezed Sakura's shoulder. "He's comatose, but he can hear you. I can leave if, you want. I'll be just outside."

And sat there, biting her lip. Once the nurse had stepped outside, she found Naruto's hand – the one without the IV – and gave a light squeeze. "Please wake up, Naruto," she whispered. "_Please._"

She didn't know how long she sat there, but at some point a man walked in. He looked surprised at seeing her, but instead pulled up a chair on the other side of Naruto.

He extended a hand. "I don't think we've ever met properly– I'm Iruka."

Sakura took it, and they shook over Naruto's body. "Don't tell me," he said, "You're either Sakura or Skye."

"Sakura," she said with a small, tired smile.

He nodded, taking his hand back. "Naruto mentioned you." He gave a weary smile, then sighed. "He's lucky to have friends like you."

Sakura shook her head. "No," she said around the lump in her throat, "We're lucky to have him."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Sai was standing in line at Ringleader's with Kyon, waiting to get his coffee before he stopped by the hospital, when he saw _her._

Kyon followed his gaze and grinned. "Go talk to her, man. She's _right there._"

And indeed she was. She was literally five feet away from him, in the next line over, just about to receive her drink. She was alone, from what Sai could tell, but she didn't shrink in on herself.

"Uh, dude? You're drooling," Kyon observed, nudging Sai forward as the line progressed.

"I am?" Sai blinked and wiped his mouth. His hand came away dry. "What –"

"Figure of speech," Kyon said, shaking his head. Ino was leaving now, coffee in hand. As she made her exit, however, a small, purple wallet dropped from her person.

"_Perfect,_" Kyon said, practically shoving Sai in the direction of a retreating Ino. "Get it and go give it to her!" he instructed. "And start talking. Don't use any stupid pickup lines, they _never work._ Wait for me outside. I'll get the coffee."

And with that Sai was given no choice but to do as he was told. He bent down, plucked the wallet from the floor. It was sequined and purple, definitely feminine, and he felt vaguely ridiculous holding it.

He scanned the sidewalk, looking for her. It was cold outside, and the world was covered in white. There weren't many pedestrians, or even that many cars – she was easy to spot, and not too far away.

He trotted to catch up with her. "Excuse me, Miss?" he said, recalling some points on the subject of chivalry from a book. She turned around, and Sai noticed that she had _really pretty _eyes.

"Yes?" she said, sounding – not confused, but not necessarily surprised. Sai couldn't place it.

He offered a smile- the book said that smiles are key into making friends. "I believe that this is yours." He offered the wallet.

Her eyes flickered down. "Oh – oh thanks!" she accepted it gratefully. "Really. This has like, half my life inside it." She smiled, then took a look at him. "Hey – do I know you?"

"I don't think that we have met," he said, "But I think you go to my school."

Recognition dawned on her. "That's it! Hey - you're not the guy who did the sketch outside of the principal's office, are you?"

Sai hesitated a moment. He wasn't quite used to being recognized for his work and…if felt good. "That was me," he said with a nod.

She smiled, and he was breathless for a minute. "You're really good! But- I'm sorry, I'm _terrible _with names." Her smile turned sheepish.

He had read that it was very rude to forget someone's name, but this could hardly count, could it? They had never truly met before, right? "I am Sai." He extended his hand.

"Ino." She looked a little taken aback for a moment, then took it. Her hand, although gloved, was a lot smaller than his. "I'll be sure to remember this time, Sai."

He liked how she said his name, he decided.

Before he could say anything, something rang; some popular song– must have been her phone, judging by her reaction.

"Crap," she muttered. "I have to go – I'll see you around, Sai!" she smiled at him, lifted the hand that held the wallet in farewell as she retreated.

"Goodbye, Ino," Sai called, after a pause.

As she left, Kyon appeared at his side. "Nice," he said, sipping his coffee and handing Sai his. "In fact," he said with a grin, "I'd say that you are _in._"

Sai didn't know what to do, so he shrugged. "She is amazing," he murmured.

Kyon glanced at the older boy and shook his head. "Isn't there a hospital you have to get to?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Skye was fidgeting with her visitor's pass. Fey had gone to some head desk or something – turns out that he had to look at an internship anyway – and she and Gaara were in the elevator, waiting to get to the second floor; the ICU.

"So what was that about?"

Skye glanced up at him then back at her hands. "Familial issues. We, ah, don't get along well with our father."

"He was involved with Jinchuuriki," Gaara remembered. Skye nodded. "Ah – apparently. That was news to me. Kinda explains some things, though." She bit her lip and stepped out of the elevator when it stopped. "Let's go – he's on this floor."

Gaara gave a _hn_ and walked beside her. He wondered what exactly was going on, with Skye's father and all, but he kept quiet. Skye would tell him, he decided, probably later if he asked.

She gave a nod to the nurse in front of Naruto's room. She eyed them a little warily, but did nothing but nod back as they entered.

They ran into the same man again – Iruka, if Gaara's memory was correct. He gave them a weary smile. "Hey," he said tiredly. "He hasn't – changed, since yesterday."

"Damn," Skye muttered. Iruka chuckled, but his face was drawn. "Yea. But he hasn't gotten worse. I'll – I'll give you kids some alone time with him. Call me if he wakes."

"Will do," Skye murmured as he left.

Sakura was beside Naruto's bed. She looked up as they entered. "Hey, guys," she offered, but Gaara heard her voice crack.

He avoided looking at Naruto and followed Skye to the opposite side of the gurney. "He'll pull through," Skye said. "It's only been a couple days."

"Yea," Sakura said quietly. They were silent for a minute, and Gaara could feel Sakura working up to say something – it was one of those things you could just tell from a person's atmosphere.

"So, uh," she began, "Police came to my house."

"What did you burn down without me?" Skye quipped, but her voice lacked…Gaara couldn't place it, but there was something missing from Skye's voice – or maybe there was something there that he hadn't noticed before.

_Sakura nervous, Naruto still, Skye anxious._

He didn't like it. They had become his constants, things that he could rely on. Sakura was supposed to be – he didn't know, not _bold_ but definitely not as unsure as she was now; up until recently, he had been convinced that Naruto would spontaneously combust if forced to sit still; and if Skye was one thing, she was fiery.

"No – not that, I – they came about the fight." Sakura bit her lip.

"Which one?"

"The – ah, Sasuke and Naruto."

Gaara turned his full attention to Sakura. _Did she give him the name? _Gaara didn't know why, but the idea gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He stared at her, as if he could read the answer on her face. Her eyes flickered over to him then dropped down to her lap just as quickly.

"And?" Skye prodded. Her hands fisted into the sleeves of her jacket.

"And I – I told them. About Kabuto." Sakura's voice shook. "But you said that's what we should do! We agreed –"

"We _did _agree. I never said that you did anything wrong." Skye carefully measured her words, narrowed her eyes and exhaled.

"But…did I – was I _right?_"

Skye shut her eyes. _Why is she asking _me? She exhaled again and opened her eyes, not meeting Sakura's gaze. "I – I don't know."

Everybody was saved from replying by noises outside the room.

"He's allowed to see the patient."

"But Uzumaki's in critical condition and there are people in there already. I would advise against it."

"I'm Naruto's friend –"

"It's not like they're _children._"

"Clearly you have not raised teenagers."

One of the voices belonged to Sai, Gaara could tell. The other – the one who didn't want anyone in with Naruto – was a guy, and the one arguing with the guy must've been the nurse outside.

They looked around at each other. "That's Sai," Skye said, glancing up. "Hey!" she called, standing. "Look, we're _fine._"

She walked to the door, heard Gaara and Sakura both get up. "Look," she said, then cut herself.

The nurse was there. Sai was there. And a man was there.

The man was lean and not very tall, maybe in his forties, probably about the same height as Gaara. He had dark blond hair, shaved close to his head, and stubble that was probably permanently on his jawline. He was dressed in clothing more akin to a janitor or landscaper and was wheeling something that had a great plethora of dangerous-looking medical equipment on it.

But the thing that really did it for Skye were the eyes. They were very big and very bright, and very, very, blue.

Surprise was clearly written on the man's face, then he smirked in recognition, at her fear.

"Well, well, well," he said, dusting his hands on his jeans. "I'd never thought I'd see you here, Skye."

Skye couldn't find her voice.

Gaara glanced at Sakura, who was alternating looking at the man and Skye. It was she who spoke first. "Do you – ah, _know _Skye?"

The man smiled. It was a smile that would look more appropriate on Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector than a middle-aged man in a hospital.

Unless, of course, this was a slasher movie. But let's not go there.

"Of course," he replied, fixing his gaze on her, and Sakura knew what he was going to say an instant before he spoke.

"I'm her father."

Xxxxxxxx

_**As always, let me know your thoughts.**_


	32. Chapter 32

**So, under threat of my life, this is up. You know who you arexD**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. **

**O&O**

**.**

The blood pounded in Skye's ears. She felt her face go white, felt her hands start to shake. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat only to discover she couldn't.

"Father," Gaara stated flatly. He stared at the man, tried to pin just exactly why he was in Jinchuuriki and what he had done to merit Skye's fear.

"Father?" Sai said, tilting his head. He glanced at Skye, then back to her father. "From what I understand –"

"Shut up," Skye croaked. It sounded weak, even to her ears. She cleared her throat and stepped around Gaara, putting up the bravado that had gotten her into all this. Where was it now, now that she needed it? _Gone. Fake steel for a fake rebel living a fake life with fake friends. Fey, where the hell are you?!_

Still, she narrowed her eyes at him and found her voice. "The fuck do you want?"

A muscle in his face jumped, but he spread out his hands diplomatically. "Crass language is unbecoming, Skye. And as it would turn out, I _work_ here."

"Hold the hell up-" Skye began, temper flaring.

"_What?_" the outburst came from Sakura. Skye turned, and Sakura looked about as angry as she'd ever seen her.

"You're telling me that they're letting a – a_ bastard like you_ who was involved with – with – _with human experimentation_ work in a _hospital?_"

"Technically I'm a landscaper," the man remarked lightly. He gestured to the medical equipment. "It just so happens that doctors aren't much for muscle."

And Sakura could see it – most men his age were paunchy, chubbier. Not him. He was lean and hard and, Sakura realized, probably looked younger than he was.

_Just like Skye does._

The resemblance was obvious in his scowl. "And I'd be careful, little girl, with what you say."

The nurse, to her credit, wasn't acting like she was completely lost. She cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she muttered, and went back into Naruto's room, shutting the door behind her. Sakura heard the _click_ of the lock being turned.

_Freakin' great. Now we're locked out here with a volatile bastard and _me._ Shit! Fey, where _are _you? _

As if summoned, Fey appeared just outside the elevator down the hall. His face was drawn, pale, and he looked mad as hell.

Her father must've noticed him, too. He turned his attention to his son as he stormed down the hall.

"Ah, Faolan," he said mildly, but he noticeably tensed.

"_What the fuck are you doing here?_" Fey seethed, narrowing his eyes and stopping just short of the man. It was like he was looking into a mirror and seeing himself in twenty-some years – and Fey _hated _it. They all had his eyes; Skye had his coloring; _he _had his _fucking face._

"Now what would your mother say if she heard you talking like that?" he responded evenly.

Fey gave a bitter laugh. "Wouldn't know. She's _gone._"

Momentary confusion crossed their father's face. "You mean she died?"

"Mother dearest _left,_" Skye spat, managing to make 'mother dearest' sound like a disease. "And you weren't supposed to come back! Ten years! Minimum!"

_This is becoming a freakin' soap opera,_ the back of her mind quipped. But Skye really didn't care right now. Four years of anger was boiling to the surface; she wasn't liable for _anything _right now.

Her father tsked. "You're making a scene; and I expect more maturity from the children I raised."

"_RAISED?" _Fey roared, anger rendering him incoherent.

"Control your temper, Faolan."

"Temper? That's rich, coming from you." Fey shook his head, muttering something about a drunk bastard.

It didn't get past his father. "Faolin Mizuki –"

"It's just Fey now," he growled. "Fey Crease."

Before he could speak, a man – presumably a security guard – called his name. "Riku," he said gruffly, coming up to them. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Fey grit, grabbing Skye's wrist. "In fact, we were just leaving."

With that he dragged them both out of there. Maybe, if he left fast enough, he would wake up none of it would have happened, or he could cleanse himself from _him._

Xxxxxxxxxx

Twenty minutes later, Sakura, Gaara, and Sai were in the hospital cafeteria, picking at snacks they got from a vending machine. Sakura couldn't stomach anything right now – too much was happening, too fast.

"That…was interesting." Sai was the first to speak. His voice was oddly flat and his eyes were focused on something in the background that Sakura couldn't see. Across from them sat Gaara; his chin was propped up on his hands and he glared at the table and the Doritos in front of him.

"Why they would let a man like that into the hospital –" Sakura cut herself off in disgust, shaking her head. "And – he was involved with Jinchuuriki!" She suddenly realized how loud she was talking, and lowered her voice. "What – what will he do with Naruto?"

"Did he realize that it was Naruto in the room?" Sai asked. His face was strangely serious, and he looked at Sakura with hard eyes.

She shook her head. "I – I don't think so. We were all standing in the doorway – "

"He was arguing with the nurse," Gaara said. "He knows something."

Sai nodded. "You are probably right. But like he said: he is merely doing grunt work. I would not worry about it now. He is most likely being transferred from hospital to hospital; he could know something about Jinchuuriki, but he will most likely be out of the area when the hospital work is done."

"Ideally," Sakura muttered. "We – we need _answers._"

"Just as long as he doesn't recognize Gaara or mess with Naruto, we should be okay," Sai said again, with that same infuriating calmness.

Actually, now that she thought of it, Sai's attitude was getting to her. A lot. "Why – how are you so _calm_ about this? Naruto – Skye – _him – _Kabuto – " she cut herself off and stared at her hands. She didn't know where the outburst had come from, but the fire had left as quickly as it had come. _What's wrong with me?_

Sai shrugged. "The situation does not merit hyperactivity."

Sakura said nothing to that and picked at a loose thread at her sleeve. _How do we know that he won't mess with Naruto?_ But she didn't voice her thoughts. She propped her chin up on her hands and leaned her elbow against the table, staring at the off-white walls of the room. She shut her eyes, as if that would make everything go away.

It didn't.

"Anyway," Sai said. "We can ask around, if need be, and perhaps check in with Skye. In the meantime, however," he shrugged, "there is not much we can do."

And Sakura looked down at bit her lip, mentally promising herself that she would do whatever she could to see her friends through this.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

_Running and screaming and fire – _

_And – and- and – _

_Pretty little flowers, white, crushed, _

_Under running, stumbling, feet – _

_Eyes the color of a laugh, _

_Laughter of the moon broken – _

_Faster faster faster_

_Smoke – _

_Falling – falling – _

_Screaming – _

_Nothing._

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Fey was usually a level-headed driver, but the first ten minutes of being in the car with him were easily ten of the most – more like second or third most – terrifying moments of Skye's life. She could feel the utter anger rolling off him in waves, and he screamed at the world for a solid five minutes before his voice became hoarse and he settled for listening to deathcore bands do the screaming for him.

He had crossed the territory from Pissed-Off into _Absolutely Raving __**Livid.**_

And Skye sat there, angry and scared and shaken, as he nearly got them into an accident twice on the way back.

Her stomach hurt, she wanted to punch something, and as soon as they pulled into the driveway she slammed the car door shut and stormed up the stoop.

When the door didn't open for her – it was locked – she let out a sound akin to one of the more carnivorous animals and slammed her fist against the brick wall.

Fey made no comment as he unlocked the door, jamming the keys in harder than necessary. "Go directly to my room," he stated, "And ignore whatever you see or hear."

Skye barely registered his warning. She probably had nothing to worry about anyway, but it was a weekend, and college kids were college kids.

It wasn't like she could _see_ anything that wasn't directly in front of her, anyway.

Anger and fear were battling for dominance inside her, and by the time she was in Fey's room, anxiety had won. She sat down on his desk chair and stared at her shaking hands.

_Holy shit…what's going to happen now?_

Fey entered, his movements slow and deliberate. He said nothing, but pulled something from under his bed.

A chessboard.

He sat on one side of his bed and gestured for her to take the other. She did, and they wordlessly began to set up the pieces. This was how they had passed time before, playing chess in his room to calm their nerves as the proverbial tempest raged downstairs.

She was white – Fey hated making the first move – and began with immediately getting her knight out into the gameplay. She was an absolute _demon _with her knights, while Fey preferred to rather liberally use his queen.

Mostly Fey beat her; she was almost strictly offensive, while he had a balanced play – but tonight it didn't look like it would be such. She didn't want to be left to her own devices, so when her bishop took his king, she said, "You up for a round two?"

Fey nodded, and as they set up the game again, he said, "I'm looking into this. If – if he was actually telling the truth – we should've been noted – or something – that he was getting out. But – Skye?"

Skye looked up, and Fey said, "Don't worry too much about it, okay?"

For a minute there, he was sixteen and his sister was twelve, and they were back in his old room. He could remember it – there had been several band posters and other stuff on his walls, books on a shelf in the corner, and the same chessboard between them as one of his favorite bands blasted in the background, to drown out the screaming. He had said the exact same words, and she had nodded, hugging herself.

Back then, and now, the same thoughts had passed through their minds:

_But I will._

xxxxxxxxxx

Sometime later, Fey had taken a blanket and pillow and had fallen asleep on the floor. She was sitting on the bed, knees up to her chest, empty carton of Chinese next to her. Most of her anxiety had abated, retreating to the back of her mind; _Beauty and the Beast _was playing on Fey's laptop, and she had no intention of moving.

That is, until her phone vibrated. She sighed, and stretching as far as her arm could, she opened the phone and read the text.

It was from a number she didn't recognize, and it read _come outside._

Rolling her eyes, she sent one back: _How stupid do you think I am?_

Not even a minute after she sent it, the reply came: _I'm already on the roof._

_Now_ Skye began panicking. Was it her father? On the roof? Or something else? Because right now it was looking like the setup for a bad slasher film.

She narrowed her eyes at her phone. _Or Kev, trying to be funny. _Frowning, she pressed brought the number up and called it.

"Hello?"

"_What's_ going on?" she hissed.

"Are you okay?"

It took Skye a minute to recognize the voice. "_Gaara?" _

"Yea. Can you come out?"

Skye almost nodded then realized he couldn't see her. "Yea."

She didn't question how he had remembered where her brother's house was; she just pulled on a hoodie, stepped over Fey's sleeping body, and opened the widow.

She was assaulted by the cold night air, but she slid outside anyway, glancing around. This was probably the only area of roof that one could actually get on – it was extended here, over the back porch, and a tree was conveniently placed to offer a boost up.

Gaara was sitting to her right. Skye clambered out of the window and stood. Everything looked different in the dark; the moon was full, and back here the lights from the city were muted: everything was washed in silver, especially with the snow.

She sat next to him. They sat in silence, just staring at the clear night sky. She turned, and got her first actual _look _at him; with the eyes of an artist.

He looked just shy of brooding. His skin was stark against his hair, his eyes jumping out against the dark rims. They was he was positioned, he could have been carved from marble – he sat with an almost unnatural stillness.

_Ethereal,_ the word was.

"Sorry," Skye said eventually, looking back at the air in front of her, "For, well, back there."

Gaara shrugged. "Why are _you _sorry?"

Skye shrugged. "Good question."

He _hned_ and turned to her. "What…what was that about?"

Skye turned to look at him. Now that he knew what to look for, he could make out the family resemblance between her and her father; there was something in her facial structure, and the color of her eyes was exactly the same. He liked her eyes, Gaara decided. They weren't cold and glittering like her father's – they were deep and almost…childish. Scared, it seemed.

"Guess I owe you an explanation, huh?"

Gaara nodded.

She cast him a tired grimace, then was quiet for a second. "Just ask questions," she told him, hugging her knees to her chest. "It's easier that way."

Well he had plenty of _those. _"Your brother said he changed his name."

She nodded. "He did. Both of us did. Ah –" she laughed humorlessly. "My dad was into Western names. Gaelic, you know? My mom was just weird. But – she named me and my sister, and my dad named Fey. Terra, Faolin, Skylar. When – after things got bad – Fey and I changed them. Took our grandmother's last name. No one ever used our real names anyway, but my dad – well, he wanted something official to put on the birth certificate."

"So…why did you change your names?"

She shrugged. "He was…we didn't get along with him. Me and Fey, anyway. Things got bad when I was twelve, and by the time I was fourteen he was arrested."

"Arrested for what?" Gaara asked. Unlike most people, he didn't have reservations in asking questions – well, at least when he was asking Skye, it seemed.

Skye couldn't tell if she admired that or not. "Vehicular manslaughter. Driving under the influence. Child endangerment and abuse."

"Abuse?" Gaara frowned. _His _father had been arrested for that, among other things. He didn't know why, but he found himself strangely curious.

Skye shrugged. "He was an alcoholic. Got out of hand. And I guess getting involved with Jinchuuriki wasn't helping. Ah – see this?" she tapped her temple, and Gaara could make out a faint, white scar that ran down her cheek. "I was twelve. He had a knife." She shrugged again, not knowing what else to do. She felt strangely bare, as if she wasn't wearing a shirt or something.

_Okay, awkward thoughts._

Before she could dwell on it, Gaara was lifting up his shirtsleeve – the arm that Kev hadn't marked. He bared it to her. On the pale, underside skin by his wrist was a jagged, irregular scar.

Skye had caught glimpses of Sakura's scars. Although no less morbid, they had had an order to them, had been neat and precise. This, however…

_It's like he took of piece of broken glass and had his fun. _

"My uncle used an iron nail. I was ten."

Gingerly, Skye ran a finger over the raised mark. "Damn," she whispered. Then, to him, "Uncle?"

Gaara nodded tersely and pulled his sleeve back down. "He was our guardian when my father was arrested. He knew about Jinchuuriki."

"Where is he now?"

"Six feet under."

"Oh."

Gaara shrugged. "We don't miss him."

Skye laughed. "Guess we come from pretty screwed up families, huh?"

"You're not like him." Gaara stated with such finality that he almost growled it.

"And something tells me you're not like your father or uncle." She shrugged. "You're your own person. You're given stuff by whoever raises you, and the thing is whether you take what you're given and make the best of it or throw it away and make everything yourself."

"So it _is_ possible to make it on your own?" Gaara gave her a weighty stare, as if her answer made a difference or something.

"Of course – I wouldn't be here if that wasn't possible." Skye didn't think twice before answering. "Why would you think that?"

"My uncle…had a warped idea, about – love and stuff." Gaara scoffed. "What _is _love, anyway?"

Now _that _Skye hadn't been expecting. But Gaara clearly wanted an answer, and well – she had become used to their little method of question-and-answer conversations. "Caring for someone, I guess. I mean, there's a buncha different types of love. _Good_ parents to kids. Friends to friends. Best friends. And then you know, the romantic stuff. Hugging and kissing and whatnot."

"But – people hug all the time and –"

"_Friends_ hug too, sometimes." Skye shrugged. She had been told multiple times by multiple different people that she _sucked _at hugging. Apparently _some _people had to be hugged around the shoulders and neck; well _sorry_ if that was physically impossible. _Some _people were _short._

"Oh. Like – Naruto and Sakura?"

A corner of Skye's mouth tugged up. _A little more platonic than that._ "Sure. Like that. Or you and Naruto or me and Sakura. Some people just like hugs."

Gaara made that _hn_ sound again, and they were quiet for a while. Skye looked up at the stars, but when it was clear that Gaara wasn't going to say anything, she stood up. "Well," she said, and he stood up too. "I'm gonna head back inside. It's _freezing _out here. You need anything, or-?" she looked up at him.

Gaara shook his head, and she said, "Alright, I'll see you," and turned to go.

"Skye?"

She turned. "Yea?"

Gaara was standing there, looking just shy of almost-awkward. "Can I have a hug?"

Skye surprised, to say the least. _Gaara. Asking for a hug._

Guess she could check _that _item off her bucket list.

Not knowing why, but not knowing _why not,_ Skye did a shrug-nod combination, stepped forward, and semi-awkwardly put her arms around Gaara.

She didn't know it, but as Gaara reciprocated the action, he received – and given – his first hug.

**Dunno what I think about this chapter.**

**As always, let me know your thoughts.**


	33. Chapter 33

**EDIT: 12.3.12: Yeah. Uhm. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I must apologize, for the less-than-awesome quality and the time lapse. I like to think that I improved as the chapters went on, but I may be deluding myself. I'm trying, lovelies, to make it better. **

**Anyway. Here. **

**...**

Kev spared Rynn a glance. "Just set up a surveillance camera," he said, turning back to the mirror to assess the damage done to his torso, "It'll save you the trouble of turning your head every five seconds."

Rynn scowled and pointedly turned his head away from his window. "Shut up. Something's up, man."

Kev made a noncommittal grunt that sounded suspiciously like 'my ass' and went back to cataloguing the injuries. Not too bad, he'd gotten worse before, but he was still aching a little from his scuffle with Gaara earlier in the month. There were bruises along the right side of his ribs, and his shoulder hurt like a motherfucker. There was a cut along his collarbone and the ever-present scar just above his left hip bone was visible above the waistband of his jeans, which hung low on his hips.

He glared at the bruise that covered his cheekbone one last time before tugging a shirt on. He kicked off his boots and ran a hand through his hair. It was getting long now, and his roots were beginning to show. He liked it long, but with the amount of sparring he did anything past his jawline was more than improbable.

He scowled at his friend. Rynn was perched on his windowsill, alternating between glancing out the window and back at him. "What?"

Kev shook his head. "I said nothing."

Rynn scowled back. "You didn't need to."

Kev's eyebrows shot up. "_Someone's _on their period," he muttered. He took a seat on the floor and leaned against the wall. "Seriously, though? It's like you're a stalker. Besides, I thought that the two of you were done." Well, duh. You'd have to be really fucking thick to think that they weren't.

_But he makes it so easy._

"We _are,_" Rynn said irritably. "But – ah, fuck man, I'm _not _stalking her house."

Kev grinned. He knew that Rynn wasn't, but dammit, it was waaay to easy to egg the boy on. "Right. Making note of – what, the _cars_ that stay there? Dude, fifty-year-old women with cats for husbands do that."

Rynn made a pissy noise. "Whatever," he huffed, and turned from the window for good. He dangled one booted foot from the sill and said, "It's just weird, okay?"

"Well, I suppose it would be," Kev said lightly enough.

Rynn looked down at him through thick black bangs. "The hell did you do, man?" After spending nearly five years in Kev's company, he had learned that most of the time Kev simply _did _something. Good or bad, it didn't matter- Kev was just involved like that.

Unfortunately for him, Kev was involved with the more unpleasant stuff.

Kev fished in his pocket and produced a crumpled, official letter with a flourish. "Daddy's back."

"You went into their _mailbox?"_ Rynn took it from him and glanced at the front, mulled over the implications of his friend's words. "Seems pretty legit."

Kev nodded, ignoring his friend's use of the bastardization of _legitimate_. It was. "Everything you wanna know about last year is in that packet."

"But that's not why you got it," Rynn stated flatly, setting the envelope down.

Kev grinned. "_Someone_ needs to move the pieces," he said, "In this lovely little game."

"'Lovely little game?' You are _insane._ She's – they're –" Rynn cut himself off and swore creatively.

"Learn that one from me or Skye?" Kev joked, nonplussed. He decided to ignore the game comment for the sake of pushing Rynn further.

"Actually, Kyon taught me that one."

Kev snorted at the sheer absurdity of that. "Whatever you say, man."

There was a silence, and then Rynn asked, "So why did you do it? For real."

Kev tapped his long fingers on the floor to the beat of a song only he could hear. "I told you, someone has to make a fucking move. I'm tired of sitting still and waiting for things to play out."

"So you steal this –" Rynn brandished the envelope, "From Skye's mailbox?" he arched an eyebrow and waited for Kev to continue. He'd know soon enough of what the hell was going on – _had been_ going on; Kev would tell him.

Kev nodded. "Don't worry. I plan on putting it back tonight. They'll assume that it got lost in the mail – it's not like I _opened_ it, I'm not a dipshit." He cracked his knuckles and smirked when Rynn cringed. "Things are falling into place, kid."

"With this…Jinchuuriki shit, I'm guessing," Rynn said, sliding down next to Kev with one last glance out the window.

"Bingo."

"…Care to elaborate?"

Kev grinned. The exact question he had been waiting for. He pulled another piece of paper out of his pocket – smaller, a little edgier. He handed it to Rynn. "Read it."

Rynn took it, stared at the cover then checked the back before opening it.

"Let the games begin."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Naruto."

Sakura waited, hoping against hope that he would twitch, groan, _respond _to his name.

The boy remained as still as ever.

She bit her lip. _Nothing. Of course. _

What could she do, anyway? After all, she was only a scared, little schoolgirl in way too deep.

She glanced at the clock. _11:10 pm. _

For the sake of – what? Reclaimed childhood? Superstition? Something deeper? – she kept her eyes trained on the clock for about forty seconds, until the digital numbers advanced.

_11:11. Make a wish, Sakura._

And she desperately, fervently wished with all her being for one single thing:

That Naruto would _wake the hell up._

Xxxxxxxxxx

The nurse – one Ms. Renee Amberlain – led Kaoru up to room 2-77. He came to pick up his sister, he had said. He was nineteen, maybe twenty, of average height and auburn hair. Not bad-looking, as youths go, with an easy smile but awkward gait.

"The pink-haired one?" she had asked for the sake of small talk, "Or the blonde?"

"Pink," he said with a small, almost self-depreciating smile. "Natural, believe it or not. It's recessive, odd form of albinism or something. Weird, I know."

She had nodded and pushed the button on the elevator.

"Her friend's in a bad way, from what I hear," Kaoru had said.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Yes. It's a shame. But – he has good friends." Ms. Amberlain said as she led him down the hall to the room. "They're here almost every day since he was admitted."

Kaoru had answered with the same smile and had followed her in silence as she led him to the door. "In here. Try not to trip over anything – Lord knows that there's more wires attach to that boy than to a T.V."

Kaoru nodded, thanked her, and stepped inside. The nurse by Naruto's bedside greeted him, and just before she was walking away, Ms. Amberlain had gotten a good look at the scene. The girl – bless her heart – had fallen asleep in the hospital chair. She was leaning forward, head resting against her arm which was laid on the edge of the bed. It was a little maudlin, a little romanticized, but Ms. Amberlain liked to think that the girl was grasping his hand.

She smiled to herself, and as she walked away a thought hit her: the thing that had first hit her, the thing that set these teenagers apart from their peers…

True, there was an oddly adult quality about them…

But at the same time, there was a strange childlike innocence, one that, with a sense of foreboding, Ms. Amberlain imagined as a delicate white flower being crushed in a rainstorm.

She pushed off the morbid thought, and hoped that, for the sake of having kids like that – good kids, kids that were trying to find themselves – in the world that their friend would recover.

She'd say a prayer for them tonight.

Xxxxxxx

"What's this?"

Skye blinked at the close proximity of Gaara's hand to her face and stepped back, plucking the object from his hand. "Ah – looks like an invitation," she said, flipping it over to see a blank back.

It was official-like, thick and elaborate like a wedding invitation but darker, a little edgier. She opened it as they walked, and scanned the contents.

_Gaara no Sabaku,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to an exclusive gathering of ones such as yourself on Saturday evening on the thirteenth of Janurary. This gathering will be held at the Glass Hotel, located on Seventh Street and Spring Garden Avenue. _

_Do not lose this card, as it ensures the admission of you and one (1) guest. _

It was signed from "Sound, Inc." and accompanied by a signature so elegant that Skye couldn't decipher it.

The closing remark, however, was a rather interesting one:

_Let the games begin. _

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Invitation to Glass Hotel? Sounds pretty ritzy. You in some academic club or something?"

Gaara shook his head.

"Then in all honesty, it's probably a scam. I mean, sounds like it's a little short notice, don't you think? January third is in a few weeks."

Gaara shrugged. "It came a while ago. I found out about it today."

"Oh…well, I mean, do you _want _to go? Check it out, I mean. Could be cool." She opened the door to Ringleader's and stepped inside.

Gaara shrugged again.

_Well, that's helpful._

Inside was gloriously warm and comfortable. It wasn't exceptionally crowded – it was a usual snowy Saturday morning in early December.

However, the two boys sitting across from Sakura were _not _typical of a snowy Saturday morning in early December.

Gaara nudged Skye and nodded his head in their direction, but Skye had already seen. She came up behind Kev and decided to forgo making a scene, instead opting to cross her arms and say, "_What _is going on?"

And Kev leaned back so the chair was precariously tilted on the back legs. _Fall and make my day, _please _fall and make my day. _

He didn't fall, only grinned up at her. "So the princess arrives," he said mockingly. He gestured around. "Pull up a seat, make yourselves comfortable. Really, I'm not here to bite…hard."

Gaara bared his teeth at the blue-haired boy as he took his seat. Sakura's fists were clenched and her gaze was hard – Kev looked faintly amused, and the other, dark-haired boy looked caught between wishing he wasn't there and curious.

Skye scowled and sat on the other side of Sakura – away from Rynn. "Alright, what do you want?"

Kev held up his hands in the 'I'm-innocent' gesture. "Hey, I was just making conversation with Pinkie here. Small talk, waiting for you to get your scrawny little ass here."

"And was that directed to me or him?" Skye asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Ah, but there isn't a safe answer to that question," Kev said with false flair.

"Cut the bullshit, will you? And stop harassing my friends. I know it's hard, but I'm sure that with help, you can manage it."

Kev _tsked._ "No introductions? Fine, if you insist," he grinned wickedly. "Well. See, I'm here for two reasons. _First,_ I'd like to congratulate you on a job well done at getting Kabuto out of my way."

"And I guess we can't expect you to keep up _your _end of the bargain," Sakura said, giving him a look.

Kev shook his head. "A bastard I may be, but let it be known that I am an _honest _bastard." He ignored Rynn's snort, but amended, "Most of the time. My amoral ways aside, consider Sasuke no longer a problem."

"And the second thing?" Gaara's voice held a growl in it when he spoke. He could feel his blood boil – something about Kev really got under his skin.

"Sharp fucker, aren't we?" Kev shot Gaara a smirk. "Well, if we've been checking our mail lately than we know about a little invitation, yes?"

Gaara nodded sharply, a single dip of his head.

"Well, let's just say that you don't wanna miss that."

"What?" Sakura glanced from Kev to Gaara to Skye. "What's going on?"

"Here." Gaara thrust the invitation to Sakura. She opened it, frowning.

"See?" Kev said. "There's…a bit of an event, if you will, going on at the Glass Hotel in a couple of weeks. Important, revolutionary stuff. Stuff that, ah, you don't wanna miss. Got it?" he directed his words at Gaara.

When Gaara didn't respond, he went on, "I'll be there. _Important_ people will be there. See, the invitations were sent with assumptions that a Master – a keeper of the Jinchuuriki- would be present in the household. Since that isn't the case…" he trailed off and shrugged. "In a way, I'm saving your ass."

"And _what, _do tell, happened to you being hell bent on killing him?" Skye asked dryly.

Kev tapped his temple. "Prioritizing, girl. There's something big going down – not sure what, no one's speaking – but oh boy, is it fucking _big._ And it just so happens that we need your Jinchuuriki here alive."

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes at Kev.

"Girl's sharp! Well, sweetheart, your friend will be receiving one such invitation as well. I trust that you'll take it upon yourself to tell him? Unless you want me to – after all, you _do_ seem to enjoy my company." He winked at Sakura, who resisted the urge to slap him across the face and then sink into a hole somewhere. _ Creep._

"What's this _about,_ though? Why are they holding it? It- it's too random. Seems like a prank you set up or something." Skye wasn't buying it – didn't want it to be true. Too much was happening right now, with Naruto and her father and Jinchuuriki and now _this._

"Great scientific minds gather in such numbers rarely, girl. And there's been – ah, a challenge to Jinchuuriki, if you will." Kev shrugged. "Believe me when I say that I don't know as much as I'd like to."

"But you're not telling us everything," Gaara stated flatly, not taking his predatory stare off Kev.

And Kev shot him a grin. "Nope."

"Of course," Skye muttered.

"Hey, I gotta keep the game interesting, don't I?" he chuckled, then rapped his knuckles on the table as he stood. "Just make sure you show up, hmm? Everything will fall into place afterwards." With that he jerked his head at Rynn and turned to leave.

Rynn, who had previously sat in silence, turned to follow Kev. Before he left, however, he turned back to them.

"Skye?"

"What?" she snapped.

He gave her a miffed look. "Check your mailbox."

**Xxxxxx**

**So, there you have it. **

**Okay, writing in Kev/Rynn's POV was FUN. Dunno why, but you may/may not be able to expect some of that in the future. Lemme know what you think of that – I personally enjoyed it. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	34. Chapter 34

**So here we go with the rather overdue chapter thirty-four. **

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, I don't own Naruto or other such popular culture, blah.**

**EDIT: last chapter – changed the date of the 'banquet' from the thirteenth of January to the seventeenth of December. Probably not relevant, but I like to keep my timeline in order, dammit. **

**Alright. I've got everything situated in the dark abyss commonly known as my mind – now it's just a matter of typing it all out. And Indigo-knows what else my mind'll decide to throw in here. **

**Further updates might be delayed, due to up-and-coming exams and the fact that the earlier chapters faintly disgust me and thus I have plans to go back and edit them. No plot points will change, just some of the prose that surrounds aforementioned points. **

**But enough of my rambling.**

**Off and onward.**

**xxx**

It had been decided that Sai and Skye would go retrieve the invitation from Naruto's mailbox, and that Gaara and Sakura would go visit Naruto. Sai and Skye would meet them there later.

Presently, Sakura and Gaara were walking through the hospital corridors. The route to Naruto's room had practically been memorized, and some of the nurses and doctors recognized them.

Not that they were exactly a forgettable group.

Sakura's stomach was doing flip-flops, and she didn't know why. It could be because of Kev, but she doubted it – _he_ had induced a feeling more akin to slapping across the face than butterflies. It wasn't Gaara's presence – he still wasn't the most talkative person alive, but she wasn't entirely uncomfortable with his silence when he wasn't exuding murderous waves.

No, there was absolutely no reason for her stomach to be acting up the way it was – but when she saw nurses and a doctor or two outside Naruto's room, her stomach practically sank.

Doctors outside of hospital rooms could only mean bad things – it was _never good._

_And he's already in a coma. How much worse can you get? _

Horror stories of Naruto being reduced to a vegetative state or impaired for the rest of his life or _God forbid dead_ raced through her mind.

"Shit," she breathed, and began running towards the room, Gaara taking off after her two seconds later.

"What's wrong?" She asked as soon as she was near the doctors. "Is he okay? What's going on?"

"Where's Naruto?" Gaara asked from behind her.

Before anyone could respond, a voice, raspy from lack of use, said, "Jeez. The way you're talking about me, you'd think I was dying."

Sakura whirled; there on the hospital bed, propped up by a heap of pillows, sat Naruto, grinning and blinking bright blue eyes at her.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Skye shoved her hands in her pockets against the cold. "Which house is it?" she asked Sai.

The boy gestured to a single-story brick building to their right. "This one – I think. Just check the mailbox."

"Right. 'cause that's not weird," she said under her breath. She really hoped that the mail hadn't been taken in – she'd really rather not have to perform a B&E.

But the letter was in the mailbox and they were able to retrieve it unmolested. Skye pocketed it, and Sai asked, "Is it weird that I received one of those as well?"

Skye blinked. "You did? When? Who sent it?"

"Just this morning," he replied, fishing it out of his pocket. He handed it to Skye. "Sent by my father."

Skye examined it. "Same time, same place," Sai said as she read it.

_His father? What the – alright, Skye, take it in stride. Ask questions later._

"For a different occasion," she mused to herself. "'Cordially invited to a banquet dinner, hosted by Danzo Kiharu.' Damn, this sounds pretty intense." She glanced up at him. _As per usual, no expression. _

Sai shrugged. "That's him. It doesn't say anything about Jinchuuriki, but that can be expected – they wouldn't want anything getting out…but that leads you to wonder why they even bothered sending out invitations."

Skye shrugged. "Point. But – you know about this? I mean – gah, this is so confusing."

"Danzo was involved with many important affairs," Sai explained.

"Well, have you ever been 'cordially invited' to one before?" Skye asked, taking it back a second too late. _Way to be tactful._

Sai didn't seem to mind. "Not as a guest," he answered.

Skye couldn't help but ask: "As what, then?"

"A guard," he replied tonelessly. "It was my duty."

_Oh…fuck. No wonder._ "Ah. What went down at these, erm, banquets?"

Another casual shrug. "I didn't ask, really. But Danzo's involvement in Jinchuuriki is unsurprising."

Skye wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Ah. Well…damn. Looks like we're gonna have to set a couple things straight. You plan on showing up?" She handed the invitation back to Sai as they made their way to the hospital.

The boy gave her an off-kilter half-smile. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Xxxxxxxxxx

Naruto was _okay._

Pale and tired as fuck, but _okay._

Sakura could hardly believe it. One second, nurses were ushering her and Gaara into – or out of? – the hospital room, and the next she was giving Naruto one of those bone-crushing hugs she used to be famous for.

And the next everyone was laughing and giddy, and Iruka and the doctors left to give them some privacy and talk about health and insurance and God knows what else.

Naruto was _better._

She and Gaara were sitting at his bedside. "So," he said, once everybody had left, "What's happened these past – three? – days?"

"Four," Gaara corrected. "You were out since Thursday. Its Sunday."

"Yea," Sakura said. "And – God. You okay?"

Naruto grinned. "Yea. Only hurts when I breathe." He gave a sardonic chuckle. "Apparently I gave Sasuke a concussion, though."

"You almost had him," Sakura said. "He – he just had a knife."

"And four other people," Gaara added.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm just happy to be back in the realm of the living. I mean, seriously, hospital food sucks."

Sakura blinked. "How long have you been awake?"

"Officially since two-eleven last night – er, this morning."

"And what was the prognosis?"

Naruto grinned, because it hurt to laugh. "Little words, Sakura. I've been awake less than twenty-four hours and it's not even lunchtime yet."

Sakura had to laugh. "That's big-kid speak for, 'what did the doctors say?'"

"Oh. They said to take it easy and they're keeping me till tomorrow. I should be in school on Tuesday."

They went on to talk and catch up – Sakura told him of telling the police Kabuto's name, but otherwise kept the conversation light. Gaara spoke little, as per usual, but a question nagged in the back of her mind: _when should I bring up the invitations?_

Then Sai and Skye entered, and it stalled the heavy topics for a while.

Skye grinned upon seeing Naruto. "Nice to see you awake, man. You really had us worried."

Naruto mock-scoffed. "It takes more than that to do me in! Believe it!"

Sakura smiled to herself. _Oh, I believe it Naruto. _Even now, seeing him practically overflowing with vitality – despite the obvious signs of exhaustion – it was hard to imagine Naruto as he had been last night, so unnaturally still.

"So, what exactly is busted up?" Skye asked, poking Naruto on the forehead.

"'Dangerously close to breaking a rib,' according to one doctor; 'just shy of a concussion,' according to another; and I have stiches on my stomach where the bastard stabbed me – but apparently I'm 'healing ridiculously fast' 'because of the coma.'" Naruto made several air quotes during his monologue and grinned. "How bout you guys – what'd I miss when I was comatose? Ha, I like that word. Comatose."

Skye chuckled. "Same old shit, you know. Killing zombies, raising hell. The usual."

Sai cleared his throat. "And, also," he said, and Sakura _knew_ that he was about to mention Jinchuuriki, partly because his voice – flat as it was – had a certain heaviness to it, and partly because the tension in the room multiplied tenfold.

Naruto visibly deflated. His hands fisted into the hospital sheets, and he gave a resigned sigh.

"We're never gonna escape this, are we?"

Xxxxxxxxx

It was Monday. Naruto was still restrained to the hospital room (much to his distaste) for the day; however, his friends said that they'd visit after school, after they had found out what they could about the Jinchuuriki situation.

He sighed and glanced out the window. It was cloudy, and probably would snow soon – again.

Hospital food sucked – and the doctors were still worried about him eating solids. He was healing at an abnormally fast rate, apparently, and it was cause for concern…apparently.

But Iruka was adamant on him coming home ASAP- which translated as 'by this Thursday', and for that Naruto was grateful.

He was also grateful for the carton of ice cream the man had brought in that morning before going to work.

But Naruto was bored – you could only play Pokémon for so long before you needed to put it down and reconnect, and remind yourself that no, your name is not GLADIATOR and you don't own a Ninetails named ZERO, no matter how cool that'd be.

Naruto laid back. He couldn't decide if he was tired or not – in truth, his body wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep, but his mind was terrified of the nightmares, of the endless, cruel laughter and the smoke and fire and blood and _pain._

That had been the worst part of being comatose – he had been trapped in his own body and there was nothing he could do about it.

He shut his eyes against the memory.

He opened them again when he heard the door open. A doctor – or was it a nurse? – walked in, carrying a clipboard. He was young-looking and tall, with brown hair and eyes and a really white smile.

"I'm here to do the blood work," he said. Naruto frowned. "Blood work? I thought I was home free – "

The nurse – or doctor? – shrugged. "Standard procedure, kid. Can you sit up?"

Naruto nodded and fixed himself into a sitting position. The doctor/nurse guy gave him a glass of water and tied his arm just before the elbow. Naruto winced when the too-cold alcohol swab touched his skin, and looked away when he actually took the blood.

"It's a butterfly needle," he said conversationally. "Doesn't hurt as much as traditional needles."

"Ah," Naruto said, because he really didn't know how to respond to that. In his book, needles were needles and best avoided. It kinda sucked, because he'd like to get a tattoo at some point, but at least he knew he'd never be able to do the hard stuff.

Well, not inject it, anyway.

"Alright," the doctor/nurse boy said, taking the vials of blood and capping them, "You might be feeling tired, now – and half a pint of blood lighter. This will probably be it for the rest of your stay here. Do you want them to tell you your blood type when the results get back?"

"Sure," Naruto muttered. He was growing tired, he realized. _Why? I wasn't giving two pints like Iruka does sometimes – and he's fine after that. _

But he was too weary to question it. He shut his eyes and fell into a deep , dreamless sleep.

Xxxxxxxx

"I don't know if it'll help," Gaara said, "But you might find something in here."

He opened the door and gestured around. Sai, Sakura, and Skye followed him into the room. It had been his father's study, before. Now it sat there as a kind of vacuum, collecting unwanted memories and dust.

Gaara could just envision it all; getting called to Father's study at any given time almost always meant trouble. He'd walk in, trembling on weak five-year-old legs, almost too afraid to open the door. He'd peak in, see the figure of his father sitting in the chair; there may or may not be a glass of expensive whiskey on the desk, and there may or may not be another man in the room.

Gaara shook his head, ridding himself of the memories of what would ensue. He cleared his throat. "Any Jinchuuriki stuff would be here."

Everything was exactly as it had been left eleven years ago – books lay open and on the shelf. The desk was neat, and on it lay two notebooks. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves contained almost every genre imaginable, from encyclopedias to medical journals to outdated _Smithsonian_ magazines to Nicholas Spark to _Harry Potter._

Skye pulled out a random book and leafed through it. "Heh. Everything you needed to know about a human's musculature." She glanced at some of the other titles and said, "Lotta medical stuff here. Guess that makes sense."

Gaara shrugged, and Sai asked, "Do you know if the records were kept on a computer file or in handwriting?"

Again, Gaara shrugged. He went over to the desk, and (a motion he'd seen his father do many times) opened the bottom drawer.

Nothing. What did he expect?

"Check these," Sakura said, opening one of the notebooks. "Erm, never mind. I lied."

Sai frowned. "How about the other desk drawers?"

Gaara gave yet another shrug and check them. To his surprise, he _did_ find something. An old, leather bound journal. The handwriting was thin and slanting, but not illegible. He opened it, skimming through the pages. The first was some melodramatic introduction, then some medical jargon; he turned the pages, and stopped on one in particular that caught his eye.

It was a diagram of eighteen names, birth dates, and other stats – and among them was his own.

"What's that?" Sakura asked, reading over his shoulder.

"Everything we need to know," he responded. Sakura frowned, and read, "Kevin Richardson. Gaara no Sabaku. Han Fujioka. Nico Gambordella. Kyo Toshiba. Naruto Uzumaki…these are the experiments."

"The ones that lived, anyway," Skye said from Gaara's elbow. She motioned to another mark, and said, "See? Most of 'em died…before they were four. And then some when they were six."

_Bet I know why._ "These are the records," Gaara said. "Everything we need to know."

Sai sighed. "Better get started, then. That's a thick book."

Xxxxxxxx

**Lemme know if you have any questions. Be advised, though, that things shall be explained. If I do this right.**

**As always, let me know your thoughts**


	35. Chapter 35

**And the offstart of something! Bhaha. **

**Kay. So here's yet another chapter. **

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Off and Onward!**

"Everything we need to know," Skye muttered to herself when they had finally read through the entire book. She was currently sitting on top of the desk, Journal of Illegal Scientific Endeavors open in her lap. "Jeez. You could teach an entire course on this shit."

Sai made a noncommittal noise, and Gaara continued to stare daggers into the floor.

"Danzo," Sakura said after nearly a minute of heavy, uncomfortable silence. "He's the – proctor I guess – of this. And your father – "she nodded to Gaara –"was a head scientist –slash-overseer. And your father –" she gestured to Skye –"was another scientist. Later on."

Sai looked up. "Danzo was involved with many other…projects. Mostly of the illegal sort. This would be right up his alley." He voice was detached, for someone speaking about his father, Sakura noted, strangely void of anger, frustration, or hatred.

"Sai," Skye said, "What do you remember of Danzo's projects? Anything about Jinchuuriki in there?"

Sai shrugged and shut his eyes. "I'm not secretly a Jinchuuriki, if that's what you're getting at."

Skye tried not to show that she was taken aback at his (rather accurate) guess. She didn't respond, only shrugged and turned the page of the journal, eyes scanning the words. Most of the stuff she understood, but there were a handful of words that she'd probably need to be in AP bio to understand.

One passage in particular caught her eye. She remembered reading it, but she caught something that seemed to sum everything up.

"_Jinchuuriki are superhuman,_" she read. _"Some display such behavior from a young age, while others develop their superior traits as they age. In others they lie completely dormant. Yamato thinks that this is a failure; Riku disagrees and hypothesizes that the traits will be observed at a later date under a more 'metamorphosis-like' procedure, most likely after puberty. These 'failed/dormant' experiments display a much more docile nature than those who have already been accepted into the ranks. Their aggression levels are alarmingly low – already three of the specimens have died from encounters with their more aggressive counterparts."_

She looked up. "Guess that's Naruto."

Sakura nodded. "I – I guess." She was pale, staring at her hands._ What sick bastards let kids die? They want aggressive six-year-olds…_ "What does it say after that? About aggression levels?" _They're like human pitbulls…_

Skye skimmed through the text a moment and then read, "_Aggression levels are mostly displayed when under stress. This may be due to their age (six-eight years old). It is hypothesized that as they age the hostility will be released while in combat to further their critical-hit ratio. More experimentation to proceed."_ She stopped. No one talked, and for once she didn't have anything to say. She kept reading, flipping through the pages, until she came to one that had significantly different handwriting.

_Tonight was the single biggest fuckup in history next to Chernobyl. Nearly everyone involved with Jinchuuriki has been arrested or is wanted by the state. We don't know if that will escalate to the federal level – but in three weeks' time Sabaku, Yamato, and – I think – Orochimaru - will be on trial. _

_Gaara – Sabaku's son, who displays one of if not _the_ most promising results – spooked when I went to Mark him. We were able to get him down, but someone fucktard left a candle burning. The kid knoced it over and it burned nearly all the documents, set the building on fire, and killed at least two of the experiments. Someone called the police, and by the time everyone was outta the building handcuffs were the new trend. _

_As far as I know, only Orochimaru, Danzo, Mizuki and I escaped. That Gaara kid is on the run somewhere; we tried chasing after him but he lost us. _

_This throws off our plans for the immediate future. _

_That shouldn't deter us too much. They are young – we have time, resources – this is just a setback. _

_Further records shall be kept elsewhere, documented on hardware and manual. _

_Sabaku, if you're reading this, contact me at the following number. _

_-Riku Mizuki _

Skye frowned and looked at the date – she would have been five when he wrote this. _And now he's back._

"Skye?" Sakura said her name with the air of someone who's been trying to get your attention for a long time. She blinked concerned green eyes and said, "What'dya find?"

"This," Skye said, showing it to her. "Look at the date – the signature – nearly eleven years ago."

Sakura paused, and then read it aloud. "Jesus," she whispered after, glancing at Gaara.

The boy was still staring at the floor. "The downfall of Jinchuuriki," he said flatly. "Present and accounted for."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Tuesday night rolled around, and as per usual Gaara's sister was yelling at Kankuro as she was heading out the door to drive him to therapy. The past five days had gone so fast – from Naruto getting stabbed to him waking up to finding out just how much his father excelled in assholery– and now just driving to the former church where therapy was held seemed so mundane.

He replayed the last couple of days – and the information that had come with it – in his head as he waited in the car. He had time, true, but still – something about it was almost nerve-wracking.

He ran a finger over the fresh scars that Kev had given him and wondered just exactly when everything had changed.

_And what's going on now? _

But when Temari entered the driver's seat his sleeve came down and his thoughts took another turn. Could he tell his siblings about this? About everything? It – Jinchuuriki – explained a lot, about their father and uncle and _everything._

Almost immediately, his answer came to him:

_Abso-fucking-lutely not._

Temari and Kankuro were dealing with enough shit without him adding to it – not that, he thought ruefully, they he hadn't added to it enough. Between him and his father and his uncle and Temari when she PMSed, their family was just _full_ of pyschos.

He couldn't do that to them.

Xxxxxxxx

"Yet another night in the lives of five fuck-up kids in therapy," Skye said, sauntering up to Sakura. Sakura offered an only half-genuine grin and nodded.

She was worried about Naruto – he had taken the new information in stride, albeit he was just as sickened by it as the rest of them…but inside, she worried. She worried what was going to happen at the banquet – she worried over what this meant for Naruto and Gaara, and what Sai was going to do and if Skye was okay with her father back and everything. It made the shit in her life seem mundane in comparison - what was happening to Gaara and Naruto was newspaper headline news; what had happened to her happened to millions of people a _year._

She hugged herself – not against the cold, but against her thoughts.

Sakura couldn't shake the feeling off as they walked into the main room and settled down into the familiar formation, as Kakashi talked and Skye said something witty, as Naruto yelled at Kakashi for being late and as Gaara sat there stonily. She laughed and played along with everything, slipping into the easy mask that she'd adorned for the longest time.

And as they left and Naruto gave her a concerned look, asked, "What's up?" and blinked huge blue eyes at her, she smiled and said, "Nothing. Tired, you know?" she even added a, "You're the one we should be worried about. You were comatose two days ago."

But she knew from the look in his eyes that he didn't believe her.

And he didn't – not truly. And so wrapped up he was in concern for Sakura and the whole head-spin effect Jinchuuriki had been having recently that he didn't notice the men hiding in the shadows as he stepped inside his house.

The men were similar in build – average height, muscular, dressed in black – and as a unit they peeled away from the building. No words needed to be said – they all knew why they were there, what the blond boy walking into the house meant:

It meant that the Superior had been right all along.

It meant that they had a lot of preparing to do.

Xxxxxxxx

**Super short, rather filler. Yes, I am aware. Jeez – one hasn't been this short since the single digits; ie way back in February (le gasp)! **

**Never fear, things shall pick up. I promise. PINKY promise. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**x.x**

"So what's going to happen now?"

Skye shrugged and side-stepped a particularly slushy patch of sidewalk. Her incisors scraped the inside skin of her lower lip as she considered an answer. "Guess we'll have to see. Naruto's better, so that's good. No one suspects anything, Kev and Co. have laid off, and, dare I say, I think it's going to snow. I hope it does." The clouds were low-hanging and thick, muffling the world in that strange way they only do in winter.

"You...like snow?" Gaara asked it as if she had just admitted to eating human flesh.

Skye grinned. "Yea. You don't?"

"It's cold," Gaara muttered, scowling at the slush.

Skye snorted. "So what? I remember sledding with Rynn and Kev –" she cut herself of abruptly. _Ah, let's not go there, shall we?_

Gaara made a noncommittal noise and ducked under a low hanging tree branch that Skye simply walked under. "I don't want to be like him."

Skye paused mid-lope and pivoted to face him. "Who – you mean Kev."

Gaara adjusted the strap on his bag and said nothing. He didn't mean to say anything in the first place and was cursing himself for even _thinking _it in the presence of others. "It's nothing."

Skye shrugged and continued walking. She didn't press or pry like Temari did, didn't scoff like Kankuro did, didn't –

"You're not, though," she mused, almost to herself. Gaara grit his teeth, cataloguing this conversation under Thing I Really Don't Want to Talk About. _Didn't awkwardly expand on the subject my ass._ "Seriously. You've both got that edge, I guess, but that's about it. Kev's…unstable. Cruel, sometimes. Definitely on the brink. And you're –ah, not."

_Than what the hell _am_ I? _What _edge?_ Gaara frowned but didn't say anything.

Because the bussing system was stupid and getting a ride was hopeless, Skye had opted to walk home – probably not the smartest idea in retrospect, but she'd probably never admit it – and Gaara had shrugged and gone with her. His house was on the way to hers, anyway, and actually doing something productive was better than waiting amongst a mass of students whilst getting screwed over by the school district.

Skye and her sister had gone back to staying at their actual house now; they had received the letter from the state in the mail about their father's release and almost immediately after had filed a restraining order. He was now legally forbidden from being within one hundred yards of his children, their workplaces, home, and schools.

It may not be too effective statistically, but it helped Skye sleep at night.

They were nearing her house now– right where Kev and Rynn stood.

_Shit._

Gaara stiffened, teeth clenched and nails digging little half-circles into the palms of his hands. "Easy," Skye said, "They won't start anything. They shouldn't. Kev said he wouldn't. And I can take Rynn." She wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure, and Kev's word was worth maybe two shits – but still. He had an awful habit of lying just as much as he told the truth. And as far as Rynn went, she _had_ taken him – back when they were thirteen, before puberty decided to hit him like a train.

Gaara grunted in response and fell into step next to Skye. He cast his gaze toward them – Kev was smoking what looked like a cigarette and Rynn was holding his phone, still completely oblivious to who was nearing them.

Kev saw them first. He grinned around his cigarette, whistled lowly. "Bout time you two showed up." He ground the smoke under his boot against the snow and spat.

Skye wrinkled her nose. "Still smoking the cancer sticks?"

"Still sneaking into your daddy's stash?" he sneered in a surprisingly amicable way, more like light banter than trading insults.

It sent a little red flag up in her mind, but it was best to go along with Kev when he was in a good mood. "It was one time and I was fourteen. Jeez. Not my fault no one told me what 'lightweight' meant." She didn't miss out on the look Gaara gave her; she'd explain herself later. Maybe.

It didn't matter as long as she never touched Vodka again.

Kev snorted but didn't pursue the topic. "You keep your poison, I'll keep mine."

Rynn made a noise. "Cut to the friggin' chase, man. It's cold as hell out here." He crossed his arms against the cold and gave Kev a pointed look.

Kev rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that probably was unprintable. "I take back what I said," he said to Gaara, voice flat and eyes wired.

"And that would be?" Gaara retorted flippantly. He wasn't really in the mood to play Kev's games. At this point all he wanted was to go home and maybe have something warm.

"That I'm done messin' with ya," he said, grinning wickedly.

"_What?_"

"Fight me," Kev said, and lunged at him.

Gaara sidestepped the attack quickly, throwing off his backpack and sliding when he lost his footing. _The one day I'm only wearing sneakers. Shit! _ He caught Kev's fist and pushed the boy. Kev stumbled back but didn't fall. A roguish smirk crossed his features, and he made to tackle Gaara to the ground.

Skye whirled on her heel and glared at Rynn. "Why do you guys always gotta start shit?"

Rynn glared back down at her. "_He_ said he needed to talk to _you._ _Nothing_ about _him,_" he jerked his thumb in the general direction of Gaara, "was mentioned. Got it?" he poked her on the forehead, hard.

"Bite me," she shot back, trying to follow the fight, wondering how the hell they were gonna break that one up. She had witness a good number of fights, and usually it was a matter of separating the boys; but there was no way in heaven or hell she was going to get in the middle of _that._

_That_ being the bloodthirsty brawl that was going on between the two boys in the middle of the street. Gaara cocked a fist back and punched Kev in the stomach just as the other boy went for a kick to the kneecaps. They broke apart at the same time – just as the door to Skye's house opened and her sister and dog were on the doorstep, yelling "What the hell is going on?" and running towards what was going on, respectively.

Ren paused next to Skye in the street, growling at the two boys. They were circling one another now, growling and hissing and cussing and spitting. Skye instinctively took a step back, but Ren was excited and barking and wanted to get closer. He began barking, running circles around the boys and sliding in the sludge the coated the street.

"Will you control that fucking thing?!" Kev roared, aiming a kick for Ren's nose.

Skye screamed something incomprehensionable at Kev whilst Ren whined and then growled at the boy.

An engine revved down the street and a car came speeding down the street. Everyone scattered like little kids playing kickball, waiting until the car passed. It echoed as it made its way, engine roaring in the distance.

In the car's wake was a black, furry heap.

"REN!" Skye screamed. The driver didn't stop, but Skye didn't care; all she cared about was the fact that her dog was lying on the street and not getting up. He twitched at the sound of his name.

Skye ran over to him, Gaara lingering behind her. Kev – or Rynn, she wasn't sure – swore in the background. She knelt down, took the dog's head into her lap. "Ren," she said softly. The dog whimpered, and she stroked his head and ears, like she always did. "Stay with me, boy," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. Dully, she was aware of Gaara and Rynn and Kev beind her, but all she saw were Ren's eyes, as they looked into her face. He opened his mouth and did that wolfish smiling thing that he did, and raised his head. "Shh," she crooned, "You're a good boy. You'll pull through. Good boy."

The dog, whether he heard her or not, Skye didn't know, raised his head and licked her cheek and whimpered. She murmured comforting things to him, stroking him and holding him and shaking when she realized that he set his head down in her lap and _wasn't moving._

Skye didn't know how long she was there before she realized he was dead.

She didn't comprehend it.

She _refused_ to comprehend it.

This was her _dog._

This was not happening.

Rynn was the first to collect himself. He dropped to one knee next to Skye and coughed awkwardly, clasping one hand on her shoulder.

Which was a Bad Move. "Don't touch me," she hissed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her gut was tied in a knot and there was a lump in her throat and her nose was clogged with snot. "Don't _fucking _touch me. Just go away. Got it?" at some point during her tirade she had stood and whirled, jabbing Rynn periodically in the chest for emphasis. "Go and fuck up somebody else's life, understand?!"

She didn't know where the words were coming from, but boy did it feel good. Her voice had risen in volume and pitch, until she was doing something that she had sworn to herself she would never do.

Skye was shrieking.

Like a friggin' banshee.

_Just like her mother had._

But she didn't care at this point. She was about to go postal, and Rynn was right in the middle of it.

The fist that she had swung collided with Rynn's nose; that was the only one that had actually met its target. Terra had grabbed her from behind and was apologizing to Rynn, dragging Skye inside like she had done That Night, just inches away from crying herself.

_Ren is dead. Gone. No more doggie._

The six-year-old inside Skye was crying. They had gotten Ren all those years ago; she had _named_ him, for Christ's sake. He was _hers._

And he was _gone._

Terra was sitting her down on the couch, and Gaara was awkwardly standing there, cradling the dog's body in his arms and somehow balancing both of their backpacks as well. She was talking to him, apologizing and ushering him inside without giving him a chance to say no, and, quietly, "uhm, let's put him in the back…is he dead?"

"His heart's not beating."

And like a zombie, Skye rose, followed her sister and Gaara out to the back where he was laying the dog's body. She numbly knelt down next to Ren, stroking his velvet-soft ears and placing her hand on his chest, where she knew that she'd feel his heartbeat. She tried not to notice how contorted his body was, how _wrong _everything seemed.

But when she put her hand on his chest and felt _nothing, _it was too much.

She broke down crying, hard.

Just as it began to snow.

**x.x**

**As always, let me know your thoughts. *Braced for whatever's coming my way***


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**x.x**

Sai had fallen into the habit of walking home with Kyon and, as of late, Ino; she lived up their way and often walked home with them. Since they lived close to school, and the bussing system took sadistic pleasure out of screwing students over, there was no bus. Sai didn't mind; he liked walking, especially with Ino.

Kyon wasn't bad company either, but Ino was…

It was hard to put into one word. She was loud, frank, outspoken - a female version of Naruto, really, but where Naruto was impudent and to put it bluntly stupid, she was bold and cunning. She didn't wisecrack as much as Skye and was more talkative than Sakura – both of which he considered an improvement.

_And_ she was pretty.

_Very_ pretty.

And over the week or so walking home with her, he had learned a few things.

Like that her father ran a flower shop and she worked there part-time (which paid just above minimum wage but what could you do?). Like that she was a flier on the cheerleading squad (which meant that the other girls tossed her up, she had explained) and that she was considering taking an art III design class next year (something that both Kyon and Sai encouraged.) She fought with her older sister a lot and had a nasty habit of impulse buying – and then suffering buyer's remorse later.

Okay, so they learned more than a few things. But Ino wasn't one to hold back much, and could easily hold a conversation with any willing listener, regardless of how much anyone else said.

But today, something was different about the girl. She was subdued, unusually quiet. Her shoulders were hunched and the spunky glint in her eye was absent.

Kyon noticed too; he cast a glance at Sai, then one back at Ino. "You okay?" he asked her.

Ino shrugged and smiled. Even to Sai, who had yet to master the art of the friendly smile, it seemed forced. "I'm just tired," she said, waving them off.

"Tired," Sai repeated, adjusting the strap on his bag. "You seem _more _tired than tired. If that makes sense."

Kyon chuckled. "Yea, what he said. Like a zombie or something."

Ino shrugged. "It's – ah, screw it. I'm mad as hell and confused and the world just sucks." She gave a bitter laugh. "But you guys don't have to deal with my bitching. It was a crappy day."

_Normally she rants if it's 'just a crappy day.' something is definitely wrong. _"You can tell us," Sai said. "We don't bite."

"_Hard,_" Kyon added with a grin.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Right, Blondie."

"Who _you_ callin' Blondie?"

"Have you _looked _in a mirror?"

"She has a point, Kyon."

Kyon rolled his eyes. "Ganging up on me, that's cool, I see how it is."

"Seriously, though. What's wrong, Ino?" Sai was concerned. He didn't like it when Ino was sad – a happy Ino was a much more fun Ino, a _prettier_ Ino, it seemed. "Sadness doesn't look good on you."

Ino gave him a strained smile. "It's – today's the anniversary of my mother's death," she said quietly.

Before either boy could respond, she smiled and said, "And this is where I get off. I'll see you tomorrow." And she left, turning down her street with a hand raised behind her in farewell.

x.x.x.x

Sakura didn't know how she wound up there, but Naruto had somehow convinced her (surprise, surprise,) to help him with his biology homework. He had to outline cellular respiration in plants, and quite frankly he was _hopeless_ at it.

Truly. It was almost pathetic.

So here she was, more or less tutoring him, even if tutoring was so second-grade and she didn't think that Naruto really cared about his grades that much anyway. She'd said as much; he had shrugged and said that he if he failed this test than he wouldn't pass the semester and he was damned if he was taking summer school.

So she agreed, and here they were, half-studying and half-talking about whatever.

And, as per usual, the subject turned to darker matters.

"This is so fucked up," Naruto whispered, clenching his fists. The pencil he had been holding snapped in two, and his hands were shaking. He rested his hands on his knees to try and steady them – he didn't want to break anything.

Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't argue with that – things _were_ fucked up, and that was the right and left of it. She wished she could stop thinking about it, wish that it _wasn't happening,_ but it was, and it was happening to her friends.

"I know," she said, quietly, "But…but you're still _you,_ you know? I mean, no one's gonna change that, right?"

There was a moment of silence, then Naruto said, "I don't know who I am anymore." His voice cracked on the last word. Sakura couldn't tell if it was from anger or something else.

"You're _Naruto_," she said, and, on an impulse, she reached beneath the table, took his hand in hers and didn't let go. "You're – _you. _And some fucked-up _thing_ doesn't change that."

Naruto didn't trust himself to speak. He squeezed Sakura's hand back and felt his ears turn red.

After a minute, Sakura cleared her throat. "So, ah, what's ATP?"

And Naruto mentally groaned, because he didn't give two damns what ATP was, but he was grateful for the distraction nonetheless. Still, he didn't move his hand and Sakura didn't let go.

Because when everything begins to spin out of control, you hold onto whatever stable thing there is in your life.

You hold on _hard._

x.x.x.x

Gaara stood there awkwardly whilst Skye and Terra screamed at each other. He had witnessed enough fights between Temari and Kankuro to perfect the art of invisibly eavesdropping. Hell, he didn't even have to be sneaky about it – with all the shouting the girls were doing, he could probably set the second floor on fire and no one would notice till the staircase was burning.

It was surprising, really, how two girls scarcely over five feet tall could make such _noise. _

"You're going!"

"Make me!"

Terra stomped her foot. "You're regressing! Don't you see –

"_Go rot in hell!"_ Skye hissed.

"Thought you didn't believe in hell!" Terra shot back.

Skye did the conventional teenage hiss/growl/scream, and Terra continued, "You did this when Mom left and I'm not letting you –"

"Don't you _dare_ talk about that!" Skye pointed a finger at her sister, "You weren't _here._"

"And then going and hitting Rynn like that! What's your _problem –_"

"Asshole was _asking for it!" _

"Just because Ren died doesn't mean that you can –"

"_Shut the fuck up!" _ Skye's face was still red and blotchy from crying and screaming, her chest heaving with the effort to hold back more tears – and her fist.

"You're going postal and I'm not letting that happen again! I'm not letting you _kill yourself_ over a damn dog!"

"I'm _not _suicidal, you pretentious bitch!"

Gaara could roll his eyes. Throwing big words around was something Temari did a lot – the effort was worthless, as most of it went over Kankuro's head and he didn't care.

Terra, apparently, did care.

Terra slammed her hand down on the table. It resonated with a _crack_ throughout the room. "Dammit, Skye! How _stupid_ do you think I am?"

"You tell me!"

Terra's laugh was cold and humorless. "Right. I'm so _dumb_ that I couldn't see that my family was tearing itself apart. I'm so _stupid_ for putting my life on hold so I could take care of my baby sister. I'm such an _idiot_ for sending you to places so you can get yourself_ help_, and I'm a _bitch_ for trying to keep you alive and sane. Well, you've got me. Go ahead, go shoot up your school. Pull a Columbine. See if I give a shit. You know where the door is."

"Up yours," Skye hissed at her sister.

That seemed to do it for Terra. "_Go to your room!" _

But Skye was already on her way there, stomping and, to top off the tantrum, slamming the door.

Gaara remained impassive. He hadn't really pinned Skye for the type to throw a complete bitch-fit…but given the circumstances, she might be a _little_ justified. Maybe.

_That or every girl has the capacity to be a complete, raving lunatic. _

Terra sighed, and gave a start when she noticed him standing there. "Sorry you had to witness that," she remarked dryly, shaking her head. "Things are…ugly. You need a ride home?"

Gaara shook his head and collected his backpack. "I live up the street," he said, which was more or less true.

Terra nodded, and said, "Alright…hold on. Who are you, again?"

"Gaara," Gaara said, making to leave. "I'll go."

x.x.x.x.x.x

Kakashi frowned at the newspaper. He didn't like the news – in his experience, the media tended to compensate for not being given anything interesting by blowing little things completely out of proportion. Thusly, the actually important things went relatively unnoticed.

He should know. He'd been a cop long enough.

That is, before retiring- at the ripe old age of twenty-seven. There was simply too much – _drama,_ almost – involved. You began to lose yourself.

You got on the wrong side of ugly.

It was ironic, almost, that he'd forsaken the police force in favor of dealing with troubled teenagers. It made no sense. It was _ironic_, almost.

But when you're as good as he was in a job where you put your life on the line, you tend to listen to your gut.

And his gut was telling him that _something_ was gonna happen. _Soon._

He knew better than to brush it off; so for the past couple days, he had been diligently watching the news, trying to pick up on the slightest hint that something was amiss.

_This is the bad thing,_ he thought as he flipped the page of the paper,_ when you live in the suburbs and get suburban news, no one reports anything bad. Never thought I'd miss the city. _

But there –that small, tiny article that couldn't be over a hundred words – that article located at the bottom left-hand corner of the page – was the one that caught his eye.

He skimmed it, frowned, and reached for a phone. He dialed the number – the one that only a select few had, the one that would lead him to probably the best bet on a trail that was going far from cold.

She picked up on the third right. "Hello?"

"Anko," Kakashi said. "It's been awhile."

x.x.x

**Yea, I know, another short chapter. But I had to split it up – **_**half**_** of the next chapter made this…**_**really**_** long. And possibly over-the-top. So whilst I revise and think, I decided to just post this thing already. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38. **

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews! **

**Off. And. Onward. **

Death was a strange thing, Sai decided. It was inevitable; but for such a constant in life it was sure as hell a vague topic. It had been touched upon today in Kakashi's group – according to Gaara, Skye's dog had died, and then Sai had brought up a friend's mother's death, and then Sakura had talked about a miscarriage her mother had had, and from there it had escalated to pseudo-deep topics like the afterlife and religion.

The dictionary said that death was the end of the life of a person or organism; okay, but then you had to define _life_ and that was getting a little too complex.

But death was a strange, unknown thing. What was it like to die? To _be dead?_ Would you even know you're dead? Do you just end, like that? Or is there an afterlife?

That was how most religions began – people wanted to look to something (or someone, or more often some_ones,_) who had power over the world, including life and death. People wanted an afterlife. People wanted to know that their existence was something more than what they could see, because they're just mortals, finite and transient.

_But do you continue to exist after you die?_

Most world religions would say that yes, you did, usually in one of three states of being: heaven, hell, or purgatory. But what if one wasn't religious? Sai wasn't. He had no proof that there was a god, or God, or even _gods._ For all he knew, he was just another organism that would cease to be after another seventy or so years.

_And even that's being generous._

Was that all he was? A pawn? Some unimportant organism, mere existing on a planet that happened to be perfect? Was the planet made perfect? Or did the organisms evolve to be perfect to exist on the planet?

And what was the difference between living and existing? Was there a God/god/gods? _Any _kind of higher power?

Was he supposed to find out?

_Maybe that's my purpose…to find out exactly what death is like._

Sai had a feeling that he wasn't thinking clearly – it was a feeling that he got when he knew the answer but didn't quite get the question, or even know _how _ he came to get the answer. A missing link.

But he was in a sort of stupor.

_What is dying like? I wonder…how would I want to die? In my sleep? Quickly, like a gunshot? No…that leaves too much room for a painful death…I want it to be painless; I want to be aware while I'm dying._

Well, he knew that lethal injection used potassium because it stopped your heart –but no matter how much bananas you eat, it wouldn't kill you…

The next best thing was painkillers.

He knew where they were kept – it was in the cabinet downstairs in the kitchen. He realized with vague surprise that he was down there, holding a full case of Tylenol in his hand. _Acetophenamin. It should work. _

And then he was up in his room, trying to unscrew the damned cap because they always had to have those stupid safety locks.

_Ah. There._

He wondered, vaguely, if he'd survive. Would it be a psychedelic experience? Would he be able to paint this?

_What will this bring?_ He thought as he swallowed two pills dry.

_This isn't going to work. I'm going to need water._

And as he got up to go do just that, he saw the horrified faces of Kyon and Ino standing in his doorway.

x.x.x.x

Gaara couldn't sleep.

Surprise, surprise.

Sometimes chronic migraines really sucked. Besides the obvious – a migraine was a migraine, after all – you could never take sleeping pills because, as little miss Pre Med put it, 'the combination of the two is _deadly,_ Gaara. Do you _want_ to keep your liver intact?'

Well, Gaara was pretty sure that if he was related to Yashamaru and if Yashamaru's liver didn't give out from all the alcohol he had consumed, genetically he should be A-OK.

Yea, Temari hadn't appreciated that one.

But this was less of a, "tired-but-can't-sleep' and more of a, 'ridiculously restless and need to go out,' kind of thing.

So, Gaara promptly slipped on a hoodie, laced his boots, and was out the window in the blink of an eye.

He didn't know what he should do. He was confused about almost everything, tired of all the bullshit, and if he was being honest with himself…

He was scared.

But he was Gaara, so of course no one knew.

No one could tell – Kankuro was being Kankuro and Temari assumed that he was getting better (or at least not homicidal) – she had even introduced him to her boyfriend/person/significant other thing.

Who, by the way, had the foulest mouth Gaara had ever _heard_ on a person. It wasn't just the language – it was the _frequency_. Every other word was what Naruto would call a "Sentence Enhancer."

_At least he's better than that last guy…_ Gaara mentally groaned at the thought. Explaining (and demonstrating quite competently) that 'fuck' could be used as every single part of speech in the English language was probably better than discussing the best ways to set things on fire– and then getting arrested for arson three weeks later.

_Probably._

The stars were out, he noted; clouds were moving in, though, so it would probably snow _again,_ soon.

He found himself walking past the playground. He stopped and gave it a hard, long look.

_That_ was where everything had started. Right in the little stretch of woods behind the playground. Or maybe it was before that. Maybe it started when his sister forcibly enrolled him into Kakashi's therapy session.

_Or maybe it started eleven years ago. When _he _was arrested. I think._

Wasn't hindsight supposed to be 20/20?

x.x.x

Sure, she might not have known Sai for the longest time, and sure, he may rock the whole emo-artist look, but he was _definitely_ not the type of person Ino would have pegged to be suicidal.

Sai was _stable._ He wasn't crazy and deranged and suicidal.

_No. Suicidal people are depressed and dramatic and troubled. They aren't polite and artsy and _Sai.

It made no sense, her rationalizing, but the entire situation was messed up. Sai sat there, blinking, Tylenol in hand.

Before she could rethink her actions, Ino stalked in there and took the medicine from him. "How many did you have?" she asked, perhaps a bit too roughly.

Sai didn't respond quick enough.

"_How many?" _ she asked, taking a step closer, raising her voice.

Sai frowned. "Three."

His voice was _so flat._

_He just tried to kill himself. Shouldn't he be at least angry? Sad? Not this…_detached. _Not looking confused because I'm yelling at him. _

Still, she was relieved. She checked the bottle – 200 mg acetophenamin. His liver wasn't going to give out just yet.

_But that doesn't change anything._ "What is _wrong_ with you?" she said, looking up at him. "Seriously?! Why are you – what did you – _what were you thinking?_ Trying to OD on painkillers – it's – _why?"_

Sai didn't react to her shouting. "I was curious," he said simply, flatly. "What death was like."

"And you figure that you can just go and _die_ like that?" What was _with_ this kid? _Curious as to what death was like. Well, I guess we all are, but a fascination like that's just…_morbid.

"I figured," he corrected, "that if I was insignificant enough not to merit any extreme mourning, the termination of my existence would not affect life too much."

"_What?_" That was _easily_ the most twisted logic that Ino had ever heard – and she had been raised _Catholic_, dammit. If she could accept _that _(for the most part) then it was pretty hard to stump her.

"I thought –" he began. Ino cut him off.

"No! Sai, clearly you _weren't_ thinking. You can't just go and – and – _kill _yourself. People would be _upset – _it would – you have a _life_ ahead of you to live!" She bit her lip. How the hell do you go over this? When the boy you kinda-sorta-maybe just might like in a more than platonic way just up and tries to O.D.?

And Sai blinked, and Kyon fiddled with his lip ring awkwardly. "Uh, guys? Keep it down – we don't wanna draw too much attention, okay?"

His words went largely ignored, though Ino _did_ lower her voice. "Sai, _please_. Don't hurt yourself. Wouldn't you rather find out what life is like than death?"

Sai blinked and gave her a heavy look. For someone who was so expressionless in tone and face, his eyes were strangely dynamic. "You mean…my existence means something to you?"

Ino didn't understand his question (in truth, Sai didn't quite get it, either) but she had a feeling that her answer would mean something. She wasn't quite sure, but she knew that this was one of those significant moments.

"Well, duh. You're my _friend,_" she said. "And you mean something to Kyon and your other friends, too." Ino wasn't sure _who_ his other friends were, but she saw him talking to that Naruto kid every once in a while; he also mentioned a Gaara, but she tended to stay away from that boy.

Kyon was nodding. "Sai, you'll die one day, but right now isn't the time, you know?"

Sai made a noncommittal noise at this, and then said to Ino, "Why are you here?"

Ino blinked. She had almost forgotten. _Talk about getting more than you bargained for._ "You must've dropped your wallet," she said, fishing it out of her coat pocket. "Here."

One of Sai's eyebrows twitched, but he made no comment. "Then you have my thanks," he said, standing to take the wallet from her. "But you should probably be leaving before someone sees you."

_Oh. Right. _"Yea, I need to get back, anyway." _To an empty house._ But she smiled, and said, "But you have to promise me to not hurt yourself, okay?" She was wary, about leaving him alone; but Kyon was here and he _seemed_ to be listening to her. Sort of.

On a whim, she held out her pinky. "Promise?"

Sai stared at it, bewildered. "What is that?"

"A pinky swear?" Kyon said, looking at Sai. "You know. You can't break a pinky swear. It's pretty sacred, you know, among kids." He shot Ino a questioning look. She shrugged, but still held out her pinky.

"Fine then. I swear, on my pinky, that I will not cause myself harm." And Sai locked his pinky with Ino's. She tried to ignore the tingling in her hand where his skin brushed hers, fought the blush that threatened to crawl up her neck. She flashed a smile, and said her goodbyes, all the while ignoring the feeling in her stomach.

She was halfway to down the street when Kyon caught up to her.

She paused, turned. He stopped, cleared his throat, blinking strange gray eyes and flicking long, white-blonde hair behind his shoulder. "I know it's twisted," he began without preamble, "But believe me when I say that whatever Sai was thinking, it was…sound. He's _not_ unstable, you know? Whatever his reasons were, they were probably justifiable. He's…unconventional. But you know that. I'm rambling. Sorry." He met her eyes, then looked down awkwardly, playing with his lip ring.

_I'll bet he's gonna have a _lot_ of girls over him once he grows into himself a little more,_ she thought. She wasn't interested in Kyon, no, but he was a nice kid – and the girls would _totally_ go for the sweetheart-artsy-in-bad-boy-clothing. Her lips tugged up into a small smile. "I believe you," she said. "Just – make sure that he doesn't hurt himself, okay?"

"He won't," Kyon assured her. "He promised, remember?"

She sighed. "Kyon, he's not five."

Kyon shrugged. "There's no difference, really. He promised you he wouldn't harm himself, and he won't. He's weird like that. He doesn't lie. But I'll keep an eye on him – probably smart thing to do, anyway." He winked. "And, you know, if it makes you feel better."

"Thanks, Kyon," she said, hoping that her cheeks were already red with cold. "I'll see you tomorrow. Let me know if anything happens, okay?"

Kyon gave her a loose two-fingered salute and nodded sharply before turning and heading back. Ino sighed, partly in exasperation and partly in relief. She was so mentally exhausted, it wasn't even funny.

But…

_Kyon was telling the truth, I think. But Sai's reaction…it just wasn't normal._

She didn't like to dwell on it too much, but it was better than dwelling on the empty house, her father's heavy-hearted, weak smile as he asked her what she wanted for dinner or the tears that may or may not come late tonight, after he thought she was asleep.

_I get that you were tired of living, mom, but…_

_Why did you have to kill yourself on your _anniversary?

x.x.x.x

Gaara threw a pebble at Skye's window and wondered if she was still awake.

She was. Wordlessly, she opened the window, lifted up the screen, and stepped aside. He swung himself in silently and brushed snow out of his hair.

Skye was leaning against her bed, knees pulled up to her chest. Her face was red and blotchy and her eyes were dull and bloodshot. "Do you ever sleep?" she asked sardonically, gesturing listlessly to her right for him to sit.

He sat. "Insomnia," he said. The open window was letting in cold winter air, but her room was warm. He unzipped his hoodie and placed it at his feet.

"So you don't wear eyeliner?" her tone was flat, her voice a little choked. She was empty. She hadn't cried that hard since she was in her single digits; even when her father would rampage and her mother left, she'd been more scared or angry than upset. But she had more of a grip now, sort of.

Gaara blinked. _Makeup? Isn't that for girls or something?_ "No."

"Oh." She began picking at the loose thread in the knee of her jeans. Gaara frowned. He didn't like seeing Skye like this. She wasn't supposed to be all apathetic. "Is…everything okay?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

Gaara's frowned deepened. And she wasn't supposed to give two-word answers. It was unnerving.

_We're friends, right? _Maybe…"Do you…need a hug?"

_What?_ "Uh…" Skye didn't know how to answer that, but was reminded of a little kid who was offering their mother a weed, thinking it was a pretty flower or something. It was one of those things that you just didn't refuse.

_Not to mention that a hug is slightly less pathetic than a dandelion. I think._

"Okay?" She couldn't help it – it came out like a question.

But Gaara didn't say anything. He shifted to his knees and pulled her into a tight bear hug. Skye squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fist around his shirtsleeve, forced herself to relax. Despite the entire situation, it was…nice. Warm. Reminiscent of, _'everything will be okay even though we all know it's not.'_

_Safe._ Yes. Gaara was safe – almost in the 'nothing can hurt you under the covers' kind of way.

_And he used to scare you. _

A corner of her mouth tugged up at the thought, and she opened her eyes, ready to pull away. Gaara didn't move his arms though, and was staring down at her with that piercing gaze. It was like he could see through her.

She _hated _that – even if he _did_ have really pretty eyes, bags or eyeliner or no.

"What's wrong?" he asked, finally blinking. Hugs helped people right? And Skye wasn't bad at hugging, he decided. He made a mental note to hug her more often.

A corner of her mouth tugged up. "Everything and nothing, I guess."

Gaara _hned_ but still didn't move his arms. It was a little awkward, but right now Skye lacked the energy to move. She looked down, stared at the design on his shirt. It was an old Guns N Roses logo from one of their earlier albums – the one with _Sweet Child O' Mine._ What was it called again?

_Fey'd have my head. Can't remember something as basic as that._ Her thoughts were rambling right now, but all the tension was bubbling to the surface – and thought-vomit was much better than word-vomit.

Well, maybe. Because then she was thinking of Gaara and his spiked hair and pale skin and whatever deodorant he wore because it smelled really good and how _very very_ pretty his eyes were and then he was kissing her and –

_What the -? _

By the time _that _thought had fully processed he had already pulled away.

It was hardly a _kiss; _he'd really just brushed his lips against hers. But still, Skye couldn't help it. She jumped to her feet, disentangling his arms from her. "What –what was that?" it came out as some pathetic kind of strangled whisper.

He stood, not taking that damned gaze off her. "I kissed you," he stated simply.

She was overreacting. Skye knew it. It wasn't her 'first kiss' or any shit like that, but _still._ Among friends, anything related to swapping spit was definitely crossing her 'personal bubble' line.

_Calm down. _"Oh," she said. Gaara tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the left, indicating for her to go on. "I –uh. Oh. Um. Things aren't going to…_change,_ are they?" She tugged her sleeves down over her hands and looked at him. That was the _last_ thing anyone needed right now – inter-group dating or crushing or _whatever._ Things were complicated enough and she didn't _like_ Gaara like that.

Did she?

She banished those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Why would they change?" he asked, genuinely curious. Skye let out a sigh of relief. "I – I was just asking," she said. No need to explain anything, not right now. Just hope that this is an isolated incident.

"You should probably sleep now," he said, glancing at the clock. "It's late. And your face it red. You might be sick."

_Yea. Sick. _"I'm – maybe. It's been…a long day."

He nodded, picked up his hoodie and tugged it on. He took two steps forward and pulled her into another hug; she tensed up, but hug her was all he did. He stepped away, and said, "Hang in there."

She nodded, and he gave her one last look before slipping out her window.

Skye shut it and sank to her knees.

Hugging she could handle. Just not anything more.

Not right now.

x.x.x.

**Aww, look. Moments. **

**I like emotions. Dramatic, violent, **_**angry**_** spurts of emotion. **

**So writing that last scene? Yea, I'm scheduled to get some cavities filled. **

**Oh, and I gave Kyon a speech pattern reminiscent of east-coast cities. Feel free to take a guess at which one – just in the event that his incorrect grammar/sentence structure/'repetitive use of 'you know' confuses/annoys you. **

**Happy Memorial Day to my fellow USA-ians. **

**Oh and on a complete tangent (well not really) Ino's whole religion-logic thing makes sense. Look up **_**any**_** religion and tell me that the logic isn't twisted. Not saying it's **_**wrong,**_** just kinda out there. **


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**WARNING: **_**The Outsiders**_** spoilers. If you have yet to read the book **_**go read it now.**_** But seriously, if you don't want it spoiled, and I mean like a huge part of the end, skip Kakash's monologue and read the next section, then PM me. I'll tell you what you miss without spoiling an amazing book. **

**O&O. **

The fact that Rynn was in Sakura's third period Latin class never really caused Sakura any trouble.

Usually.

Usually the boy just sat in the back of class and quietly attended to his work. She never really talked to him; between last year's drama and the sheer fact that they had belonged to two separate social circles there really had been no incentive to talk to him.

_Especially _now.

But he more or less ignored her existence, and she did the same, surviving just shy of forty-five minutes with him a day.

Easy.

Usually, it was no trouble.

But today he approached her just as class was letting out. His shadow fell across her shoulders while she was gathering her things, and when she looked up and saw long black hair and quite the scowl, she jumped about three feet.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "But there's something you need to hear. Tell Uzumaki and Sabaku, okay?"

Sakura blinked. She didn't know what this kid was getting at, but she refused to be cowed by him. "Tell them _what?_" she stood and cocked an eyebrow.

A muscle in the boy's jaw jumped. "Just…tell them…tell your entire little ensemble – to take a different route home, okay? Kev's pissed…and he's out for blood."

"_What?"_

Rynn looked thoroughly irritated now. "Just – trust me, okay? Look, I was – it doesn't matter, anymore. He's on a rampage, and I don't – just _trust me._" And he shouldered his backpack and left the room.

Sakura bit her lip and watched his back retreat down the hall until he disappeared into the swarm of students.

_It's just one thing after another, isn't it? _

_Damn straight._

x.x.x

Skye woke up, glanced at her clock, and promptly fell back into the pillow.

Terra must've turned off her alarm. Actually, there was a stickynote stuck to her forehead, which probably said something akin to, "I let you sleep in, call me when you wake up."

It did, with an added threat that, "You're not getting out of therapy. Fey's taking you. I'll be out late."

Skye wrinkled her nose and lay on her back, crossing her arms behind her head. She really had no inclination to get up and thoughts of last night kept replaying in her mind's eye.

_Ren. Gaara. Hug. Kiss – gah. Ren. Ugh…_ there was a pang when she realized that Ren wasn't here, next to her like always, licking her face and getting fur all over the place. Tears pricked behind her eyes, but she was damned if she'd start crying. _Again. _

_Ren…_ she bit her lip.

It _hurt._

And then Gaara…

She squeezed her eyes shut. _Stop acting like such a teenybopper! Jeez. So he kissed you. Big deal. He's touch-starved, socially inept at best, and clueless. He doesn't like you, and you don't like him like that. _

…_and if that doesn't reek of denial, I don't know what does. _

Skye groaned and rolled over. She hadn't slept well and had been kept up at night, thinking of Ren and Gaara and why things always seemed to fall apart when they just begun to work out.

Well, at least she didn't have to go to school today.

_House marathon? I do believe so. _

x.x.x

Naruto was sitting in the hallway with Sakura. It was their lunch period, but he didn't want to be with the crowd. He wanted away from everyone, from the noise, from just everything. It was an odd mood he was in; he wanted to be away, but he didn't want to be alone.

Sakura was here, next to him, leaning back against the wall and listening, offering what she could; she had told him about taking a different route home and he made a mental note to tell Gaara.

Naruto wondered, briefly, if this was what best friends were like.

But he was also holding her hand in his and stroking her palm with his thumb, so maybe it was more than that. It probably was. He _liked_ Sakura. He just wasn't sure if she liked him.

She had small hands. They were delicate and pale and smooth; her fingernails were painted with chipped purple nail polish and –

He went still. _Okay. That definitely wasn't on her hand…_

Sakura recoiled. His fingers had grazed the inside of her wrist and he had felt the scars. Her hands were grasping her knees now, and she offered a weak smile. "Sorry."

Naruto blinked. "For what?" he swallowed. He didn't understand what she was apologizing for. _For cutting herself? _"You don't have to be sorry. If anything, it's _me_ who should."

She shrugged and said something so quietly he didn't pick up on it, but he caught _freaking out._ Her hair had fallen into her face and she had drawn her knees up to her chest, closing in on herself.

Acting purely on his impulses, he took her hand, scooted closer, looked at Sakura. "I'm not freaked out," he said quietly. When she didn't respond, he ran a finger over her wrist, feeling the scars. They weren't too bad, he guessed, and mostly healed. Old. "Do you still….?"

He mentally kicked himself for asking. After a minute, she said, quietly, "I stopped….but I did it once…when you were in the hospital."

Naruto's eyes flicked back up to her. She was staring at the arm he held dispassionately, like she was remembering. "Don't hurt yourself," he said, and he meant it. "I – I don't want to see you do that."

"I couldn't finish," she said, finally looking at him. "It was…I just couldn't. Your voice was yelling at me." She gave a small smile.

A corner of his mouth tugged up. "You have my voice in your head?"

"It's the loudest one. Feel honored."

He chuckled at that. He didn't know what else to say, but he didn't feel as if he _should_ say anything. Partly because Sakura seemed to understand him on a level that didn't require talking, and partly because, well…

There was something about this moment that was strangely intimate, something sacred.

And he didn't want words to spoil it.

So when the bell rang, he pulled Sakura up and into a hug, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and dashed off to Spanish, waving a good-bye behind him.

x.x.x

"I can't believe it," Kev growled, throwing a punch into the wall. It went clean through the drywall and left his knuckles stinging. Usually he would have been pleased by the destruction, but he wasn't satisfied. "Little motherfucker decides to go all postal…" he let out a growl that was only partly human.

Rynn was caught between sighing and biting his lip. Kev was _pissed,_ nothing new there, but he wasn't _calming down,_ and that's what was scaring him. He didn't talk, just sat on the bar stool in Kev's basement and kept his eyes trained on the exit.

Kev was aware that he was making his friend uncomfortable, and that was where he drew satisfaction from, sick as it was. His father…that piece of chickenshit that had donated a Y chromosome…_"FUCK." _

Drunk as hell and temperamental like a PMSing bitch.

_I'll kill him one day._

Kev didn't doubt it. He remembered, way back when, when he was a freshman and thoughts like that scared him.

Now he was smart. He realized that he had nothing to fear. This…

_This will bring you power. _

And that man would do well to remember that. Just because Kev was still smaller made him no less lethal. He made his first kill when he was eight, and he'd make on again, soon. He knew it.

He could feel it in his blood.

x.x.x.

"You weren't in school today," Gaara accused.

"I know."

"Were you sick?"

_Something like that._ "Yea."

The answer seemed to satisfy him. They were standing outside the old church, breath making clouds in front of them in the cold. _Naruto, it would be absolutely great if you could suddenly show up and chase away the awkward. I swear I will never hit you over the head again if you do._

The fact that she was the only one sensing the awkward made it even more awkward. She couldn't even look at him without going red. It was _pathetic._ She was _Skye._ She was badass; she was hardcore. She most certainly didn't _blush._ Because of a _boy._

Because now she was looking at Gaara the way she looked at something she'd draw, and he was…well…_attractive,_ in an exotic bird kind of way. She'd draw him like an elf, minus the long hair, make him a little shorter, and the expression more – _What am I _thinking?

_Goddamn estrogen._

And here, alone with Gaara and the snow and desperately trying to keep her mind off of Ren and her dad and kisses, it was hard to think of, well, _anything_ else.

She could have almost hugged Sakura when she showed up and almost immediately began cursing Kakashi for not showing up and leaving them out in the freezing cold; Skye had to agree with that one.

Eventually, he did show up, as did Naruto and Sai, and 'class' had officially begun.

x.x.x

Somewhere in the middle of the session, after the pleasantries but before Kakashi could actually get to the meat of what he wanted to say, something had managed to set both Skye and Naruto off.

Correction: something he had said hadn't sat well with Skye, and something Skye had said had set _Naruto_ off. Soon enough, Skye was yelling at him and Naruto, and Naruto was yelling at Skye and everyone else was just sitting back watching the two breathe fire.

"You don't mean that!"

"How the hell would you know, Blondie!"

"Who the hell you calling Blondie, shorty!"

"You think that just because you're not – homicidal or suicidal or broken or _whatever_ – means we're fixed?" Skye gave a bitter chuckle. "Then you're deluded. Look around! We're kidding ourselves. Trying to get fixed? Please. We're like broken toys. You can always just go out and buy new ones."

There was a sound of a hand meeting flesh, and it went so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Naruto's hand hung in the air and his look was a mixture of hurt and anger. Skye didn't move, but a red mark was forming on her cheek.

"Get over yourself," he spat.

A twisted smirk formed on Skye's mouth. "See? If that isn't proof that there's no hope for us, then I don't know what is."

Sai, apparently taking her statement literally, suggested that at least no one had brought out any knives or guns or had otherwise caused _harmful_ bodily injury.

Everyone turned to look at him. He stared blankly back.

Kakashi sighed. _Self-destructive behaviors. Gotta love em. _ "Sit down, the both of you. _Now._"

They sat, glowering at each other.

"What I really should do," Kakashi said, "is make the pair of you do innumerable push-ups. Or laps. Probably both. But fortunately for you, by law I am not allowed to give physical punishments. So, if you will be quiet for two godforsaken minutes…" he trailed off. Sai blinked. Sakura shot glances between Naruto and Skye. Naruto glowered at the wall. Skye stared at her nails. Gaara stared at Skye, then turned his eyes to Kakashi.

No one spoke.

_Good._ "The reason, as it was so nicely put, that I am wasting my time on lost basketcases like yourselves, is because…anyone want to guess?" _Sai, that was rhetorical._ But Sai didn't say anything.

"No takers? Well, believe it or not, I was a teenager too, once. Give or take ten years ago. Ah, yes. Surprise." He paused, then continued a little less sardonically, "And I was messed up." Kakashi really didn't like beating the dead horse that was the sob story of his childhood, but it was too late to go back now. "My father died when I was ten. My mother married another man two years later – and he was an alcoholic. He beat her; when I was older, the two of us got into fights constantly. My best friend got into trouble a lot, and the girl I liked came down with a bad case of leukemia. She died – she _killed herself_ – before the cancer could. It tore us – me and my best friend – apart. He…have you ever read_ The Outsiders?_"

He was greeted with nods. "Well, would you say that Dally committed suicide? Sakura?"

The girl shrugged and stared at her shoes. "He was…self-destructive. He _wanted_ to die."

"The gun wasn't loaded," Gaara said. "So he chose the next best thing."

"Obito – my friend – was the same way. He was self-destructive before Rin came down with cancer, and after that…He got into a fight he'd knew he'd lose…and when that didn't work, he slit his throat."

No matter how dispassionately he told the story, he was always greeted with a sort of reverent, shocked silence when he was done. He pulled himself from the memories – one's he'd rather not relive. "_That's_ why I try. Because I hate it when kids hurt themselves. It's sick, twisted, and just _wrong._ _Especially_ when the kids are just trying to cope. They can't help their situation, and they get blamed, and that pisses me off. Get it?"

From the looks on their faces, they most certainly 'got it.'

x.x.x

"Is he okay with the backseat?"

Temari sighed. "For the tenth time, _yes._"

The silver-haired man next to her, Hidan, rolled his eyes. "Calm your pantyhose. I just don't want him going batshit or anything, seriously."

Temari sighed. She almost regretted allowing her boyfriend to meet her family, because that prompted warnings of, 'be careful, I have two brothers; one who wears face paint and plays with puppets and another who may or may not be psychosocial.'

Actually, this time she had used it as a ploy to drive Hidan _away._

…Yea, that hadn't worked. He was freakin' as thickskulled as _Kankuro._

_Lucky for him, he grew on me._

"He'll be fine. Gaara never willingly takes the front…" she trailed off, eyes nearly bugging out of her head. Hidan glanced at her, then where she was looking. "What the fuck? So he hugged some chick. Seriously, stop acting like he up and fucking –"

"_Don't_ finish that," she warned. He promptly shut up. "…but…coming from Gaara, he might as well have. He doesn't like _people._ Except this one kid. But other than that…and he _hugged_ her…without causing bodily harm…"

In a rare moment of insight, Hidan said nothing as Gaara entered the car.

Temari mentally gave him brownie points, and then launched her own interrogation. Apparently the girl was named Skye and she went to his school and yes, she was his friend and that was all she had managed to get out of him. She hoped that maybe, after she'd dropped Hidan off, he'd tell her more.

But, then again, who was she kidding?

Further interrogation proved that _she_ was the one who had supplied him with the CDs.

_Oh, joy. The first time he shows remote interest in a girl, and she's some rocker chick. Who's in _therapy.

Then again, the guy she was dating was majoring in cult studies.

_There's no hope for this family, huh?_

…

**Man, I bastardize these characters, huh? Naruto's chipper, I give him anger management problems. Sakura's all loudmouth, she takes her insecurities out on herself. Gaara freakin **_**kills**_** anyone within a ten foot radius, I give him a penchant for hugs. **

**Maybe **_**I**_** belong in therapy…**

**Anywhores. More action-y stuff in the next coming chapters, I pinky promise. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	40. Chapter 40

**When it all comes crashing down XL **

**Disclaimer: I am in no was associated with the owners of Naruto. **

…

Kakashi sat at the bar along with Anko, a young woman with purple hair. His drink was untouched and his voice was low, and Jiraiya was paying attention to him and not the twenty-something busty brunette that was well within looking range.

_This isn't good._

"You're not serious," Jiraiya said. "Sabaku was arrested years ago – Jinchuuriki died with him. Those boys were relocated and everything dispersed, more or less…unless, of course, the police reports were only issued to quell the public."

Anko grinned roguishly. "Bingo. Now, what do you remember of Orochimaru, hmm?"

"He had an obsession with creating the perfect biological weapon – an advanced human with little to no will of its own. And he almost succeeded. Don't tell me that sicko's on the rise- I thought Minato got him years ago – after he went after that Uchiha boy."

"Yea, so did the rest of us," Anko grumbled, taking a swig of the Stella in front of her. "But he got out – on probation now. And he's back in action."

"With what?" Kakashi asked.

"You said you remember the Jinchuuriki project from – ah, about eleven years ago?" The two men nodded. "Well," Anko continued, "Orochimaru has…joined up, of sorts, with that. Their goals were more or less the same, up to a point; thankfully, neither of them had reached that point quite yet."

"So what are they doing?" Jiraiya asked, washing a cup absently.

Anko's gaze hardened. "From what I understand? A test-run."

"So that's why they're at the hotel," Kakashi muttered. Two pairs of eyes flickered to him. In response, he pulled out the newspaper clipping. "Look at those names. All in one place. I figured as much."

Anko took it from him and sat back. "Huh. So they're at the Glass Hotel…a discussion and banquet in honor of Orochimaru…huh."

A contemplative silence settled over them, and Jiraiya said, "A test run. Of experiments. The Glass Hotel." His eyes flicked to Kakashi. "So…what are we gonna do?"

Kakashi's smile was anything but nice. "Looks like we're crashing a party."

**x.x.x**

Sakura totally expected things to be awkward the next day at lunch, but Naruto and Skye had seemed to settle things on their own.

Actually, they poked fun at it. "Who woulda thought that 'bout Kakashi, though," Naruto said through a mouthful of sandwich.

"It _does_ explain a lot," Sakura said.

"Heh, looks like something good actually came out of our little bitch fit, eh?" Skye said, poking Naruto with a plastic spork.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and Naruto grinned. "Let's make a mental note to do that more often, then."

"Or not; I'd rather live without a pissed-off Kakashi, thanks," Sakura put in dryly. Skye grinned. "Okay then, mental note to piss Sakura off –"

But she cut herself off when a tall, blonde girl came up to the table. Sakura felt a sinking feeling and proceeded to mutilate yogurt with her spoon, while Naruto tilted his head and asked, "What's up?" amicably enough.

Ino planted her hands on the table. "You hang out with Sai, don't you?" her tone was anything but friendly and Sakura cast glances at the girl out of the corner of her eye. They used to be best friends – even if they had lost touch, Sakura could still read her perfectly.

And she was _pissed._

"Yea," Skye said, slowly. She stood. "What's it to you?"

_Please, let's not make a scene._ Skye and Ino – the perfect equation for a cat fight waiting to happen. Sakura bit her lip and cast a helpless glance at Naruto – he was oblivious to the tension, to the stares that their table was receiving.

"Then you _know_ about what he tried to do." It wasn't a question.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged a worried glance. "Look, if he – did – anything…ah, inappropriate to you, he didn't – "Skye began, but Ino cut her off.

"I'm _talking about –_" she lowered her voice, "I'm _talking_ about how he tried to kill himself!"

"_What?" _ Sakura regretted opening her mouth as soon as the word was out. Ino turned to look at her, and Sakura braced herself for the biting remark.

"Yes, _Sakura," _she sneered. "He _did._ Something you might know if you actually paid some goddamn attention to your friends!"

_She called me Sakura. Ouch._

It wasn't Sakura. It was always Pinkie or Forehead or the term of endearment of the week; _never_ her actual name.

_But that doesn't matter now, does it. You two are done._

"Hold up a second!" Naruto yelled, standing. "I don't know what you think you're saying, but Sakura's a great friend!"

"Added to the fact that _Sai mentioned nothing_ AND that he showed no signs of wanting to die," Skye said, tone laced with venom, "It looks more like you're talking shit than anything."

"Then why don't you _go ask him,_" Ino practically hissed, before turning on her heel and stalking back to her table.

Skye scowled at Ino's back and sat. "Isn't she just a bucket of sunshine."

"Yea," Sakura grumbled, "Sunshine."

x.x.x

"Sai."

The boy stopped at hearing his name and turned. Naruto was coming down the stairs to the school, the rest of their ensemble in tow. "Yes?"

"We, ah, heard something. From Ino," the boy began.

Sai blinked. _Why would Ino talk to him? _Did Ino _like_ Naruto? Of was she, perhaps, lesbian? She _did_ hug her female friends a lot; but no, neither Sakura or Skye were pretty as Ino.

But then again, Sai had heard her fawning over that guy from _Sweeny Todd_, so perhaps she simply had something to say to them – but what could it be?

"Oh," he said.

Sakura was fiddling with the hem of her jacket. "Yea, uh, something kinda serious…"

"She said that you tried to kill yourself," Skye said bluntly. "Is this true?"

_Oh. It was just that. _"Yes," he said.

Both Skye and Sakura promptly hit him upside the head.

_Now I know how Naruto feels…_

And as they scolded, questioned, assured, and otherwise tried to tell him to _not do that again, okay?_ Ino watched from the doorway with a satisfied smile on her face.

_He should be okay. Now let's find Kyon and go home._

x.x.x

Gaara was confused.

He and Skye were walking home from school in a think, heavy silence. The clouds above wove a steel blanket, enclosing them in their own little world. The snow was crunching beneath their feet, and he could make out the dulled sounds of life around them.

But not a single word from Skye.

It was alarming, almost.

And on top of that, she was avoiding him. Acting _scared._ Whenever she'd see him, she'd either go red or white and her eyes would drop to the floor and she'd fidget with her sleeves.

It was damn irritating and _confusing._

Truth be told, he _missed_ her ramblings and rants and random pokes to his forehead.

And something else was nagging him – he'd get to that first, then once she started talking, he'd ask the other stuff. Socially inept as he might be, he spent the majority of his life watching people from the sidelines. He knew how they ticked.

Plus, he was genuinely curious.

"Why would Sai try and kill himself?"

Skye shrugged but didn't look at him. "Lots of reasons – depression, curiosity, self-loathing. But he didn't – thank the powers that be."

"Why didn't he?"

"He found a reason, I guess. You know, to keep living."

_A reason._ "Oh."

Then, "Would you be upset if I tried to kill myself?"

Her reaction was instant. "If you try and commit suicide, I will kill you, resurrect you, and then make you clean up the mess. Understood?"

_Oh. _Well, at least she didn't decide to hate him overnight – that'd be bad. Whatever he felt for Skye – whatever it was – was more than he ever felt about anyone else _ever._

He just didn't know what it was.

But still. He kissed her. Wasn't that supposed to mean something? Something that wasn't awkward shifty eyes and tense shoulders? Something…nice?

Maybe he was wrong…or maybe _she_ was.

"Something's wrong with you," he said, cutting in front of her, forcing her to face him.

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You're acting weird."

"_I'm_ acting weird," she stated flatly, tone incredulous.

"Yes."

She sighed. "Look…"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Well, you _did_ kiss me."

Skye immediately regretted her words, but Gaara didn't so much as blink. "And?"

If Skye had a desk, her head would me making nice with it. "You know how you can't go around hitting people? The same applies to kissing."

Last time Gaara had checked, kissing and hitting were two separate things. "Did you…find it distasteful?"

"What – well, no, but you can't –" she was fidgeting again, staring at her hands, chipping the neon green nail polish on her fingernails.

And something inside Gaara began to snap. "_Look_ at me," he almost growled. She swallowed, and raised her gaze to his. It was guarded, like she was afraid.

"You're acting just like everyone else," he sneered, stepping into Her Personal Bubble. She took a step back, but now she was glaring at him. "Oh, I am, am I? The hell do you even _mean_ by that?"

"You," he said lowly, "act all nice and make people trust you. But when they start to be nice back, you don't care. You _lie._"

_Oh, he did _not_ just accuse me of leading him on. _"Look," she snapped. "I don't know what you're talking about! And what the hell? Why would I be different, anyway? What would make you think that I'd be any different from the next guy?"

It was the wrong thing to say, and she knew it. She shut her eyes and inhaled sharply, but before she could try and dig herself out, he spoke.

"Because_ you're_ my reason."

Oh.

_Oh. _

"Oh."

_Way to be eloquent._

x.x.x.x

Somewhere along the past couple months Ringleader's had become their default hangout. The five of them were crowded around a table, sipping coffee (or, in Naruto's case, hot chocolate) and talking in hushed tones.

"It's this Saturday. We're kinda on a time crunch," Skye said. "We gotta work out what we're gonna do."

"There's always not showing up," Sakura pointed out. "But I think we're gonna have to rule that out as an option."

"This sucks," Naruto grumbled. "We don't go, we get beat up. We do go, I have to wear _nice clothes._ It's a lose-lose situation."

"Amen to that," Skye raised her coffee at him.

"The invitation does say that it's a banquet," Sai said. "However, I am not sure what his ulterior motives are. And this Orochimaru character is a new player."

"So we may need to do some asskicking. I cannot kick ass in a skirt," Skye muttered. "And, you know, our overall wellbeing is in jeopardy."

"Call the police?" Sakura suggested.

Sai shook his head. "Danzo…_is_ the police."

Skye sighed. "Okay. Let's just assume that we show up. It's a banquet mathingy. Orochimaru, Danzo, my father – are most likely gonna be there. We know about them from that journal, so it's not like we're blindly following, y'know? And it's a _hotel_ right? What can they possibly do insofar as maiming us? And there's always rooms, you know, if something bad happens."

"Why don't we just rent a room, then? Pack 'ass –kicking' clothes, throw them up in the room, go to the banquet? If something bad happens, we have a fail-safe," Sakura proposed.

Sai nodded. "It could work," he said. "We could all excuse ourselves at some point during the night, retreat to the room; if needed, we stay there till the busses run and return home."

"Brilliant," Naruto said, "But I'm _not_ wearing a tie."

x.x.x

Turns out Naruto _would_ be wearing a tie. And a collared shirt. With _buttons._ And pants that weren't jeans. And shoes that weren't obnoxious orange converse.

If they wanted to torture him, they already had a one-up.

He shoved the offending clothes into a bag and threw it onto his bed. It was a wonder that he even _had_ clothes like that, but over the past year he had had to dress appropriately for the court hearings.

He flopped down onto his bed. _ After this, everything's gonna be simple. _

He just had to keep telling himself that, ignore the ball of anxiety that was becoming his gut, and everything would be okay.

He did everything mechanically that Saturday. He told Iruka of his plans to stay at Gaara's overnight to work on an English project; Iruka had approved, and Naruto had felt a brief pang at having lied so easily.

He pushed it away. It wasn't like he was _choosing_ this.

Naruto groaned and rolled over. He'd get through it, no doubt; he just didn't like all this hype, all this buildup. It seemed like forever ago when he threw that tantrum over being a Jinchuuriki, seemed live forever since Kev and his coma and _everything._

He checked the clock. Not quite noon. He'd be meeting the others at Ringleader's closer to five thirty.

So it was with blatant disregard for the wakeful that Naruto rolled over and promptly fell asleep.

x.x.x

Sakura's mother was a little harder to coax, but she bought the story of, "I haven't been out in a while and if something's wrong I'll call you right away." She mentioned that Ino would probably be at Skye's (an absolute blatant lie,) and by then her mother was sold.

_I just hope I don't wind up regretting this. Deep breath, Sakura. Just calm down. Everything's going to be fine. Nothing's gonna hurt you. It's just a fancy dinner. _

That didn't stop her from slipping a can of pepper spray into the wristlet she'd be carrying with her to the hotel.

_Just in case._

x.x.x

It is a truth universally acknowledged that one cannot feel at ease in a skirt.

Or kick ass.

Or otherwise be _not vulnerable. _

Such was the issue that Skye would be facing. She stared at the…_thing_ in her closet – a simple black and red number that fell somewhere between her knees and upper thighs. The only reason she even _had_ it was because of the mandatory get-togethers that required something other than her basic black ensemble.

It outstared her. It was with a great sigh that Skye put it in her bag, along with the appropriate shoes and tights and shirt and bag.

Stupid fancy banquet of _stupid._

x.x.x

Gaara waited till Kankuro was downstairs before sneaking into his room.

He'd need his brother's tie. And collared shirt. Shoes, too. And pants.

Not to mention his I.D.

When someone knocked on the door, Gaara answered it, ignored the stares of his siblings, and ushered Sai up to his room.

"Let me see it," Sai said. Gaara handed him the license, and the boy looked it over. "And this is legitimate?"

Gaara nodded.

"Okay then. Your computer?"

Gaara gestured to his desk, and Sai made quick work of booting up the PC. He was going to make a fake I.D.; all of Kankuro's information with Gaara's picture, because apparently when ones rents a hotel out online with their brother's information one needs a photo I.D. to prove authenticity.

Who knew?

Within twenty minutes Sai was done, and Gaara was in possession of an I.D. that claimed he was twenty years old and a student at Konoha U.

They didn't talk much; when Sai left, though, Gaara asked, "What's going to happen tonight?"

Sai paused, hand poised right over the doorknob. He sighed, and said, "I haven't the slightest clue. Danzo hasn't told me much. I will be working as a guard, most likely. I will do what I can to help, but…if I were you, I would keep my guard up."

Gaara nodded in acknowledgement, and Sai left.

He glanced at the clock. _One fifteen._

He had nearly four hours to kill.

Just what the hell was he supposed to do?

**X.x.x**

**A boring chapter, but one necessary for transition. **

**Let me apologize for this one. Writer's block hath hit me like a bitch in heels, and I'm just getting over it. I kept getting scenes for like three chapters ahead but nothing for this.**

**Stupid temperamental muses. **

**On a side note, go check out the poll. Vote. And all that jazz. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	41. Chapter 41

**I'm back, bitches! **

**Sorry, yes that was necessary; writer's block is a bitch in heels. **

**A quick reply to reviews: Well, gosh. Thanks a ton…really. You guys rock. And yea, I do type rather fast – sorry for the typos. I try, I promise. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**x.x**

Sai wasn't positive of the technicalities of foster care, but he had a feeling that for Danzo to see him today the man had had to pull quite a few strings. He was meeting Danzo in his penthouse, coincidentally or not a suite in the Glass Hotel. He wondered about his friends, but pushed it away. More likely than not, he'd see them tonight.

_No matter now. I must fulfill the task he sets for me. _

Well, that's what Danzo had to think. It would hardly do any good for the man to know that his son was about to double-cross him.

Still, when Sai saw Danzo, he felt an unfamiliar twinge in him middle.

_Probably the fact that I skimped on breakfast._

He brushed it off and strode forward to meet the man. He genuflected a few yards away, right fist held over his heart. He stood and straightened himself, met Danzo's scrutiny with a steady gaze of his own.

"You are well?" he finally said.

"Yes."

The man gave a _humph._ "Did you come…prepared?"

Sai knew what he meant. "Yes."

Danzo nodded and sipped a drink that was probably Irish coffee. The only thing the man seemed to enjoy in life. "Very well. What is expected of you tonight is –" and he went off on the debriefing, explaining what Sai was to do and the protocol he was to follow.

It was just as Sai had expected. Danzo was most _definitely_ involved in Jinchuuriki, and probably for the worst.

_A funder, no doubt. He probably has scientists working on it, as well, and it's protected by his personal police force. _Sai would have to find out what he could and tell Naruto and the others.

"And," Danzo added, "You are to keep a special eye on Orochimaru. I don't trust him, and neither should you. Dismissed."

Sai nodded. "As you say…father."

x.x.x

The Glass Hotel was one of the ritziest places in the city, and as such it was not used to having teenagers as guests. Gaara received skeptical looks from the doorman and the receptionist, but he was able to get to the room unmolested. There he waited, and Sakura, Naruto, Skye, and Sai all staggered their arrival.

The room itself had one huge bed, a bureau that held a T.V. and a nightstand with a lamp and phone on it. A kitchenette was off in one corner and there was a ebony door that presumably led to the bathroom.

The four of them got ready; after a slight dispute involving why exactly Skye and Sakura needed the bathroom and that the boys had to work the whole 'changing' method out with the room and the closet, and that_ no, Naruto, the bunch of us could hardly afford the cheapest room, you're not getting room service, they _were ready to go.

More or less. The banquet wasn't scheduled to start for another hour and a half, so they had some time to kill.

Naruto, after getting dressed rather haphazardly, opted to go for a walk around the hotel. He told everyone that he was going to 'look out for suspicious activity' but really he just wanted to be alone. He was in a strange mood, had been all day, and who could blame him?

He took the stairs, not the elevator, and brought himself to the roof. In the summer it functioned as one of those cool roof-pools and a sky deck thing where people tanned, but in the dead of winter it was empty.

Naruto brushed the snow off a chair and sat down. Sure, he wanted to be alone but…

The whispering wind, the blanket of snow, the deafening silence?

This was a little _too_ alone.

x.x.x

Much as she didn't like staying cooped up in the room, Skye didn't want to venture out. She was anxious, she knew that, so when Naruto left and Sakura went to the bathroom to change, she sat on the floor, leaned against the bed, and tuned into her iPod.

It was sad, really, how dependent she was on a piece of technology that was smaller than her hand; it was a lifeline, a savior, a heavensend that she'd die without.

She was drawn from thoughts of poison, pills, and hopeless hearts when Gaara sat down next to her. He shot her a questioning look, and she wordlessly handed him an ear bud. He took it and they stayed in a companionable silence for the next couple songs; during this time, Skye tried her hardest to concentrate on the music and not the fact that Gaara was sitting close enough that their shoulders almost touched or that he had pretty much said that he had some form of pseudo-dependence-crush thing for her.

She leaned her head back and shut her eyes, let the songs of crying bitches and November rains and hearts bursting into fire wash over her.

But, as always, the silence (not-silence?) was broken.

"Skye?" Gaara asked, shifting his gaze to her.

"Hmm?" she tilted her head towards him but otherwise didn't move.

"Why are so many songs about love?"

Skye shrugged and tried not to read into his question, the mantra of _Gaara = socially inept_ repeating itself in her head. "People like love, I guess. They like talking about. And I guess it's a source of inspiration, or something. They think they know what love is and they want to tell the world. Or maybe just someone." She stopped short when she realized that she was rambling, and made sure that the current song was _not_ a ballad.

Gaara was silent for a moment, digesting her words. Then, the inevitable introspective/deep question presented itself: "What is love?"

Skye took a breath to stall while she composed her answer. She hated taking time speaking, but even she couldn't answer a question like that off the top of her head. "It's caring for someone, I think. That's the base of it – actually giving a damn about someone's well-being. Accepting them for who they are – _liking_ them for who they are. Liking their flaws. And from there you have, you know, different types. And stages. Liking someone as a friend, liking someone as a significant other. Platonic and, ah –" she searched for a word, because dammit she was _not _ saying 'romantic' (because she was _not_ going into the physical aspect) – "amorous."

Yea. Because _that_ word wasn't a synonym, or anything.

"Platonic," he stated flatly, but Skye knew that there was a question behind it.

"Yea. Like, between friends. No –" and here she was saying it – "romantic intentions towards someone, basically. 'Amorous' is liking that person especially more than anyone else. Not liking it when they're with someone else and not you. Wanting them to feel the same. But it takes longer for love to, ah, develop. You don't just love someone in a non-platonic way after two weeks. You like them first. You can have affection, or be infatuated, but love just doesn't happen that quickly."

"But what _is_ love?"

Skye had to keep herself from sighing. "More than what I said? I dunno. I'm sixteen – I'm not really_ supposed_ to know what love really is. It's one of those 'search-the-world-for-answers' kind of question." She swallowed. _Where is he going with this?_ Gaara didn't just ask stuff. He always had a reason, a direction he was going in. There was going to be another question, she knew it.

"Does love hurt?"

"N –" she bit off her reply. Did love hurt? Sometimes, she supposed. When someone didn't love you back, right?

_He is so asking the wrong person. _Over the course of her teenage years, she'd only really dated three people, and only two of them she took semi-seriously. And considering that the last half of her freshman year too much shit had been going down to really give a second thought to boys and dating, she was, in the grand scheme of things, inexperienced.

She chanced a look at him. He was staring at her intensely, hanging on her answers in that way that made her think twice.

And it _scared_ her.

It was pure convenience when Sakura stepped out of the bathroom. Mumbling an 'I don't know,' Skye stood, grabbed her things, and went into the bathroom.

Once safely inside, she locked the door and promptly sank against the wall.

She didn't like the way her gut felt. She didn't like the way that she was short on words. She didn't like the way that her throat was constricted.

But most of all she didn't like the way that she liked it.

_What's going on with me? _

x.x.x

Almost as soon as Sakura came out of the bathroom, all dolled up in her formal clothes, Skye went in. It might have been her imagination, but it seemed like she was moving quicker than usual and that the door was pulled shut and locked with almost a deliberate loudness.

Sakura brushed it off. Everyone was on edge today – Skye's nerves were totally understandable. She glanced at Gaara – he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed, and staring at the shut bathroom door with an odd intensity; Sakura wondered if maybe there was something else setting the girl on edge.

_Why, oh why, does everything have to start falling apart at once?_

She didn't know where the thought came from, but it seemed oddly appropriate.

She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed and tugged on her shoes –simple black flats that went with nearly every outfit imaginable. When she was done, she began fidgeting, because the silence was awkward and she felt the need to make conversation.

But Gaara seemed to be one step ahead. "What's wrong with her?" he jerked his head in the direction of the bathroom.

"Skye? She's probably stressed. We all are. You saw…Naruto." She shrugged, but was grateful for the distraction. "A lot's kind of going on."

Gaara frowned. "She…does she hate me?"

Sakura turned to look him full on. He was serious. "I don't think she would. What makes you say that?" How could she know if Skye hated Gaara? She was complicated; they all were. You couldn't get a for-sure reading.

_But he's serious…_

His frown deepened. "She…"

_Oh, God. _Sakura didn't know whether to facepalm or grin. _Don't tell me he likes her. _

The grin was winning. "I don't think she does," she said quietly. "She's just as confused as you are."

"Confused," Gaara repeated flatly, giving her what only could be described as a Look.

Sakura shrugged and quelled the devious smirk. _Nothing wrong with giving him a nudge in the right direction, right?_ If she thought about it, the idea wasn't that far-fetched. They spent a lot of time together, it seemed, and recently Gaara had been uncharacteristically touchy-feely…

"You like her," Sakura said simply with a grin. When Gaara blinked at her blankly, she made a gesture with her hand. "You know. You _like_ her. You two have a - thing."

Gaara scowled. "So what? You have a _thing_ with Naruto."

Sakura unsuccessfully fought the blush that crept up her cheeks. "So?

Gaara shrugged but didn't answer. Sakura waited, and when it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything, she said, "Yea, I guess I like Naruto."

"How do you know?"

Sakura blinked. How did she know? She had to think for a minute. "I guess I just know. I like being around him. He's special to me in a different way than everyone else is."

"Does it hurt?"

"What?"

"Does…_liking_…Naruto ever hurt?"

Yet again, Gaara threw a curveball. _Uh. Hurt?_ "No…why would you think that?"

"I'm…I'm a monster, right? I shouldn't be able to feel."

Sakura's female intuition was telling her that he wasn't telling her something. "Does liking Skye ever hurt?"

He said nothing, but just stared holes into the bathroom door. It was glaringly white against the dark color schemes of the room, and Sakura wondered if it was just a temporary one. It didn't fit the room.

"Sometimes," she said, quietly. "Liking someone can hurt. It shouldn't, because love's not supposed to be painful" – she was _not_ going to get into anything kinky – "but sometimes it is. You can't see the pain, but it's there. People hurt people without even realizing it, especially someone blunt or scared."

She tried to keep her thoughts off of Sasuke. _He_ had caused her pain, enough to cover her entire high school career, in her opinion. But she guessed that was part of growing up, even if some part of it was just fate being cruel.

"Scared," Gaara said, almost to himself. Sakura stared at her hands. "Well, it's scary if you think about it. Liking someone puts you out for a lot of damage, even if the other person doesn't know they're hurting you."

"Naruto wouldn't hurt you," Gaara said, shooting an intense stare her way.

Sakura sighed. "I know." Her response surprised her, but it was true, wasn't it?

They were silent for a minute, then Gaara said, "So…what happens now? What does all this –" he gestured around, "mean?"

"I think…you should talk to Skye. And I think that this – our little talk here – proves that you aren't a monster. And that…" she trailed off. She didn't really know _what_ else to say. It was like everything worth being said had been said.

Gaara had the air of a man making a decision, and then he exhaled sharply, almost a sigh. "If you go see Naruto," he said, "I'll...talk…to Skye."

A small smile came across her face. She stuck out her hand, and, tentatively, Gaara shook it. "Deal."

x.x.x

The courage that Sakura had felt after her talk with Gaara was fading as she walked through the hotel. Gaara had told her that Naruto was on the roof – Sakura didn't question how he knew – and she was heading there. She opted to take the stairs, partly because she was sorting out what she wanted to say (did she even want to say anything?) and partly because she liked walking through grand hotels. All dolled up as she was, walking through high ceilings and elaborate décor, made her feel like some sort of princess. It was a childish notion, but one Sakura loved dearly.

If she wasn't so intent on being a doctor, she'd probably do interior design.

She found Naruto on the roof, just like Gaara said. He was sitting on a chair, all hunched up in the cold and wind. "Hey," she said, coming up behind him.

He turned. "Hey," he said, gesturing to the spot next to him.

Sakura hesitated but eventually sat. It was cold, but Naruto was in one of those moods – one that she recognized. "Kinda lonely up here," she remarked, trying to make conversation.

He shrugged. "I wanted to be alone."

Okay, that stung. "Sorry," she said, forcing her voice to be light. "I'll go –"

"No!" Before she could stand, Naruto clamped his hand down on hers. She arched an eyebrow at him, and he said, "Don't go. I – I don't want to be alone."

"Excuse me?" Weren't _girls_ supposed to be the ones sending mixed signals?

"I'm confused," he said, staring at their hands. "I thought I wanted to be alone, but – I dunno. Can you stay? Please? Just for a little bit? I – it's not as bad, if you're here."

She didn't ask about what wasn't as bad, didn't judge. She just nodded and made herself confortable. "You seem awfully conflicted."

"This is just so fucked up." His voice was choked; he cradled his head in his hands

"I know," she said, and went on her instinct. She squeezed his (freezing) hand with her equally cold one. They were silent for a while, and then Naruto spoke. "I'm sorry."

Sakura shrugged. "Don't be. Everyone's fucked up. It's just how it is, now."

"It shouldn't be."

"I know, but – "

"But what? My friends and the girl I like are getting dragged down because of _me_ and something bad might happen and it's _all because of me._"

It took a minute for his words to sink in; Sakura intertwined their fingers and said, "For the record, I don't mind."

He gave her hand a squeeze, and they were silent for a while before he spoke again.

"I wish I could freeze time, right here."

"It's a little cold for my tastes," she said with a small grin.

Naruto chuckled. "Really? And now?" and before Sakura realized what was going on (but after she realized what she had just set herself up for) he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Better?" he asked, a teasing lilt to his tone.

"Better," she confirmed, fighting the blush and wondering how Naruto could go from sulking to flirting in such a short amount of time.

"I'm still kinda cold," he said, and for a stupid, idiotic second, Sakura thought he was serious. And then he kissed her, _really_ kissed her, and all thoughts of anything were banished except for that she was definitely not cold anymore.

They pulled away and faced each other, and Sakura knew that she was grinning but it was okay because Naruto was too. Their breath was making clouds in front of them, and Naruto said, "Better now?"

He desperately hoped that he hadn't overstepped some boundary, that Sakura wasn't about to hit him, but she was smiling, really smiling, when she said, "I'm not cold anymore."

x.x.x

**FOR THE RECORD: **

**Songs mentioned in passing: (That I DON'T OWN.)**

**Thank you for the venom – My Chemical Romance**

**Cryin' Like a Bitch – Godsmack**

**November Rain – Guns N' Roses**

**Hearts Burst Into Fire – Bullet for My Valentine**

**Aaand this chapter was reworked so many times, it's not even funny. **

**OHYEA. There's this poll thingy in my profile, check it out; it influences the characters in future projects. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I don't Own Naruto. I am not associated with the owners of Naruto. Call off the lawyers. **

**x.x**

When Skye walked out of the bathroom, (fully composed and donning the offending skirt) Gaara was the only one in the room. To her unasked question, he said, "Sakura and Naruto are walking."

"Ah," she said. She dumped her clothes into her duffel bag and deposited that on the bed. She slipped on her boots – (suede things that she kidnapped from her sister) – and when she looked up, Gaara was standing and his tie was in terrible disarray.

"Your tie's messed up," she told him before she could stop herself. Fey (for whatever reason) had deemed it necessary that she know how to tie a tie – and Gaara's was tied in that way that was completely wrong. He glanced down at it, then back up at her.

"Here," she said, and again, without thinking, she stood and fixed it. Quickly, because this was close too close and why the _hell_ was she so freaked out?

"Your hands are shaking," Gaara said quietly, wrapping his hands around hers. "That means you're scared."

Skye didn't answer; she couldn't around the lump in her throat. She couldn't look in his eyes, _(beautiful, beautiful eyes)_ so she stared at their hands – he had really slender fingers, the nails bitten down to the quick. She could feel the callouses on the inside of his hands, and she was very, very conscious of their close proximity.

When she didn't answer, he asked, voice strangled, "Of me?"

This time she _did_ look him in the eyes and almost wished she hadn't. His gaze was raw – fragile and hurt and _intense._

"No," she said, but the whisper sounded choked even to her. "Not of you."

His grip around her hands tightened. "Of what, then?"

_Of this feeling in my stomach. Of what's going to happen when we leave this room. Of my past. Of my future. Of what's happening right now._ She couldn't exactly say any of that, no matter how much she wanted to.

"I'll make it go away," Gaara murmured almost-softly. "Just tell me what it is."

Skye didn't like it – the huge wall of emotion that was coming off him, the _awwww_ that was welling up inside her. She tried to quell it, to curl it up and slam steel walls back around her heart, but she was trapped, caged – like a rabbit caught between hiding and running away.

And there was nowhere to hide.

Gaara took her right hand and placed it over the left side of his chest. "It's beating really fast. What does that mean?"

_That you're just as scared as I am. Or something else that's just as scary._ But she couldn't say that, even if she could speak. Once she started talking, she would either cry – something she'd promised herself she'd _never_ do – or word vomit would start to come and not stop. She stood there in the heaviest silence of her life, and Gaara seemed to sigh.

Gaara let go of her hands, and in a desperate moment of (_fear, anxiety, loneliness, something more,)_ Skye took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry."

She had no idea what she was apologizing for, but the words were almost instinctive (choked as they were.) Gaara pulled her tighter to him – she couldn't pull away, even if she wanted to. "You can trust me." Why was his voice so gentle? Why did that scare her? "I promise."

"Okay," Skye managed, because he deserved some kind of response (_even if it was weak, hesitant, blatantly not-believing.)_ She shut her eyes and tried not to think, especially about how she could feel his heartbeat through his shirt.

"Nothing's going to hurt you," he told her fiercely. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She didn't know how long they stood like that; she just rested her forehead on his chest and he didn't move his arms, and everything was stopped.

And for a minute there, she let herself believe everything he said.

It was easy, there – it was nice and he was warm and she _felt_ like nothing was going to hurt you.

When she was sure that she was composed and not about to start sobbing, Skye tried to pull away –but she couldn't.

Skye blinked. "Uh, Gaara? You can let go."

Gaara made no motion to pull away; in fact, his arms tightened. "I don't want to." His voice was low, but it cracked halfway and something inside Skye twinged at his words.

Skye said nothing, but she didn't move.

"Please don't make me let go," Gaara said, and if Skye didn't know better she'd say that he was on the verge of tears.

Skye exhaled. She wasn't cruel enough to try and break this – whatever this was. So she just kept her arms around him, tight, and buried her face in his shirt. "I'll always be here," she murmured. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not gonna…leave – you."

"Promise?"

Usually when people say that – _is that a promise? _– it's some form of sarcasm, or joke. People above the age of ten don't say things like that seriously – but Gaara was being completely and utterly genuine voice raw and low and strangely innocent.

It was heartbreaking.

"Yea," she said, blinking back the tears that pricked behind her eyes, "I promise."

x.x.x

Sakura's cheeks were still rosy from the cold when they arrived back at the room. Skye's eyes flickered to her and Naruto's intertwined hands, but she said nothing. Instead she stood from her seat next to (really close to, actually) Gaara, iPod in hand. "It's ten to seven. You ready?"

"No," Naruto answered. "But we really don't have a choice, do we?"

Skye _mhmed._ "We were thinking. Maybe at some point during this…thing, say around nine – we should just come back here, change, and get the hell out. I mean we would have made an appearance, right? We could just excuse ourselves - staggered, of course – and boom. We're done."

Sakura nodded. "Alright. Sounds good – I don't want to be here if something, ah, crazy happens."

Everyone agreed. The girls applied the last touches of make-up, and by then it was seven on the dot.

_Let the games begin._

x.x.x

His father's parties were awfully_ boring,_ Sai mused as he watched guests spill in by the couple. Kev arrived with Rynn and Kyon, a stocky brown-haired man behind them. Skye's father made an appearance, arriving with a white-haired man. He kept an impassive façade, although he was rather curious. He barely even blinked when he saw his friends arrive, though he saw Danzo's eyes narrow and go from Skye's father to Skye.

But they passed, and Sai almost let out a sigh of relief.

_Almost._

_It would be too soon, now, I think. Don't hold your breath._

x.x.x

Gaara blinked at the hordes of people milling about, chatting, drinking cocktails of some sort. He felt himself tense immediately; he wanted _out._ People threw off his chi. He could tolerate some, enjoyed the company of few, and _hated_ large crowds. It was like being assaulted with energy or color or sound, and not in a good way.

When they had first split from Naruto and Sakura "so we can mingle and find out some more information' she had seemed to know what she was doing, but now Gaara figured that she was just really good a pretending.

"Kyon?" Skye asked, almost at the same time he said, "Skye?"

She half-grinned, half-grimaced. "What's going on here?"

Kyon shrugged. "I'm just as lost as you are. Kev, even, doesn't know much…" he fiddled with his lip piercing. "It's weird, you know? We're completely in the dark, and there's all these adults…and then the awkward kids."

Gaara _hned._ He had noticed it –it was so glaringly obvious. There were obvious adults, milling about and making conversation, and then there were tight groups of three or four teenagers, all looking completely out-of-element and more than a little curious.

"Yea," Skye was saying. "This is so – weird. Like everyone's waiting for something."

"Well naturally," Kev said easily, coming up next to her. Skye squared her shoulders – she was tense around him, Gaara noticed. He himself did, too. He couldn't explain it, but something about Kev rubbed him the wrong way. It was instinctive, like backing away from a rabid dog or something.

He slid an arm around Skye's shoulders and gave a friendly squeeze. Gaara wanted to tear the boy's jugular out. He settled for inching closer to Skye."It's all a part of the plan. Get 'em tense, then," he removed his arm, "make 'em dance. You pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?"

"All I'm getting," Skye said, taking a step away, "Is that you're playing with our minds. _Again._ But what else is new? Kev and his mindfuckery."

Kev grinned. It wasn't a nice grin. "The games have barely begun, kid. Brace yourself."

x.x.x

Sakura wasn't entirely sure how, but she had suddenly found herself talking with a white-haired boy. He was called Yagura, and he had strange purple eyes and a scar on his left cheek. He was nice enough, she supposed; very vivacious, yet polite, and a little candid, all at the same time.

She was wondering about the scar; it was stitch-like and ran down from the base of his eye to the bottom of his jaw. She must have been staring at it, because he said, "It's my Mark. Cool, innit?"

Sakura blushed. "Y – yea, it is. You're a, ah…" she didn't really know what to say here – was Jinchuuriki considered slang? Would he not appreciate her pointing it out?

"A Jinchuuriki, yea, you can say it," he said in a sort of self-depreciating way. "I'm assuming you're here as a guest?"

Sakura smile in relief. "Yes. I'm with him, actually." She gestured a few yards away, where Naruto was talking rather animatedly to a muscular, dark-skinned man who wore sunglasses, even inside.

Yagura smiled. "He is awfully chipper, given the circumstances."

"Circumstances?" Sakura asked, but before the boy could respond, a man began to speak. The entire room went silent and all attention was focused on him.

He was tall and slender, with quick movements and an easy smile. His white hair was slicked back into a ponytail and he practically radiated charisma. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to witness a never-before revealed social – and biological – experiment, with honored guests Orochimaru Hiruzen and Riku Mizuki!"

There was applause; Sakura clapped half-heartedly, vaguely recognizing the names as ones in the journal they had found in Gaara's father's office.

He waited until the applause had died down, then said, "But before we begin, a word from one of the directors of the project, Hiro no Sabaku!"

Sakura felt her blood run cold. _That's Gaara's father. Oh, my god. _She tried to search the crowd for him, but she couldn't see him. _He's not going to like this._

The man was on the taller side, and compact. Sakura couldn't make out much family resemblance between him and Gaara – this man had dark brown hair and she couldn't quite see the facial features – but he had an aura of control, an almost '_don't-fuck-with-me'_ kind of vibe that had gripped the entire room before he even spoke.

He cleared his throat, and began, "Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests and scientists; this evening, you are all going to witness something revolutionary. For it was this day thirteen years ago that the scientific world was changed forever. This day, thirteen years ago, the Jinchuuriki project was born."

There was an applause, and Sakura felt sick to her stomach.

"I have had the honor," he continued when the clapping died down, "Of working with some of the most brilliant men. And those brilliant men are going to give speeches – however, I believe that those speeches will be better received on a full stomach. So, without further ado, I would direct you to the banquet hall."

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to excuse herself to Yagura, but he was already gone.

Naruto appeared next to her. "Come on. We'll just leave after the dinner – it can't hurt to take their food now, can it?" and with that and a grin, he offered her his arm with a flourish.

Sakura couldn't help but smile, but she also rolled her eyes. _Only he would._ "I guess it can't," she said, taking the offered arm. "Now let's find Gaara and Skye, okay? And did you see Sai?"

"I did," he said. "He couldn't really talk. You know, Danzo being right there and all. It was weird, just seeing him…stand there. Like he wasn't there at all."

Sakura _mhmed._ "Right. Don't worry," she added, "This will all be over soon."

Naruto nodded, then he caught sight of Gaara. "Hey! Gaara! Skye! Over here!"

Sakura could cringe. _Has he ever heard of the word 'subtle?'_ But it got their attention, so it didn't do much harm, she supposed.

Skye looked okay, if not a little on edge (well, they all were,) but Gaara…

Gaara's face was a mask. Not like Sai's blank expression, but more of a murderous, cold, glare.

_A don't fuck with me look…just like his father._

Sakura immediately promised herself to never make the comparison again. "Ready?" she asked, if only to dispel the tension.

She wasn't sure if she did a good job.

The four of them were in their own little world, it seemed, as dozens of people walked around them. They were facing each other, standing still, stopping time - if for only a few moments. They were equilibrium in the face of chaos.

_But there's no going back now._

"Let's do it," Skye said, and, taking Gaara's hand and her free one led them into the fray.

_And straight into the lion's den we go._

x.x.x

**Not much to say here, only that things are about to heat up. **

**As always, let me know your thoughts.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The seats were already marked out at the banquet hall with elaborate nameplates. The Jinchuuriki was seated next to his guest, his name in intricate gold cursive; his guest's the same print in silver.

_Awfully fancy,_ Sakura mused. _Then again, these guys don't screw around. They're the real thing. _

Everyone was seated, then brought one of those menus they give to groups – your choice of an appetizer, one of five possible entrees, and a dessert.

Next to her, Naruto tensed. "Look to your right," he said quietly, "And tell me who you see."

Sakura glanced around nonchalantly, eyes widening. But she turned back to her menu and pretended to be engrossed in it. "Sasuke?"

"Yup. I thought…Kev, you know, got rid of him." Naruto didn't sound angry. He didn't sound scared. He just sounded…_he sounds like nothing._

That scared her, for some reason. "Yea…well he hasn't bothered _us…_I mean it's not like Kev was going to…you know."

"Yea," Naruto said, but his voice sounded forced.

_Sasuke…what the hell does he have to do with anything?! This…this isn't good._

Like it ever was good.

x.x.x

Skye was sitting next to Gaara and a quiet, white-haired boy who may or may not be around her age. He had introduced himself as Kimimaro and they had exchanged small talk; she didn't know if he was a Jinchuuriki or not (he didn't have a guest, nor was he outwardly vicious, but he had two red dots above his eyebrows that may or may not have been Marks. _(Capital 'M', _she had figured out after overhearing two boys comparing scars.) But the thing was, Marks were scars, and they looked more like tattoos.

"They're a family sign," Kimimaro said out of the blue.

Skye wasn't going to pretend she didn't know what he was talking about. "The red circles?"

"Yes. I'm not what you would call a Jinchuuriki."

"Then what would you call yourself?" The question might've been bold, but from what Skye could tell, Kimimaro was levelheaded.

_Then again, everyone here is unstable in one way or another._

He didn't seem perturbed. "I am one of Dr. Orochimaru's team. The Sound Five."

_Orochimaru…he was the guy who was with Jinchuuriki first…oh, my god. Did he leave and then start his own fucked-up army of child warriors?!_ She could tell that Gaara was listening to every word. "Orochimaru – he was involved with Jinchuuriki first, wasn't he?"

"Yes – there was a falling-out, and he started his own independent research."

"Ah…So, why are you here tonight, then?"

Kimimaro actually_ smiled._ "To see whose creation is superior, of course. To fight. To win."

x.x.x

Naruto stared at the nine ounces of meat that was laid out before him. "Uh, Sakura?" he whispered. "Which one do you use first?"

He was referring to the obscene amounts of silverware that was laid on either side of his plate. He had eaten out, sure, but restaurants like this? Where you had to _dress up?_

He was clueless.

Sakura, on the other hand, was more educated in fancy-place etiquette, he was sure. She glanced around, (and noted that most of the boys looked rather confused or had disregarded the 'order-of-silverware-use' in general.) "I think you'll be fine," she said to Naruto. "But you start from the outside and work in. So now you'd be using the middle utensils."

"Right," Naruto said. In truth, he was too nervous to eat. He had hardly touch the appetizer (he couldn't even remember what it was) and, mouthwatering as the steak was, he doubted that he'd be able to stomach it.

Sakura noticed his discomfort. "At least drink something," she said. "Even water. I'll help." She leaned closer, and whispered, "We'll be out of here soon. I'm going to excuse myself in about five minutes; Skye will after me – then you and Gaara. We'll meet back in the hotel room – all of us – by eight-thirty. Sound good?"

_No,_ Naruto thought. _I want to get out of here _now. But he wasn't going to say that. He grinned at Sakura and took a sip of the water for good measure. She smiled – it looked strained – and poked at the food before her. He wished he could be as levelheaded about this as she was – but he _couldn't._ Something primal inside him was on edge and refused to calm down.

Beneath the table, Sakura's hand found his. Their fingers intertwined, and he clutched her hand tight. She squeezed back, and didn't pull away.

He didn't let go.

x.x.x

Towards the end of the main course Sakura took her hand from Naruto's. "I'll be back. I'm going to fix my makeup. See you soon." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she settled for resting a hand on his shoulder for a second. For a second, Naruto relaxed.

Then she was gone. She politely asked one of the waiters where the ladies' room was, and he pointed her in the right direction. She thanked him and walked off as calmly as she could.

In case anyone was watching, she actually _did_ go into the bathroom. Almost as soon as the heavy black door shut behind her, her phone began to ring.

_Wha -? Please don't be mom…ugh…_

She dug it out of her wristlet and took a glance at the caller ID. Her stomach promptly sank.

_Ino…_

Ino was confrontational. Sakura was not. If Sakura did not answer this, she would be receiving _hell_ later…

She sat down on the bench and steeled herself for the worse. "Hello?"

"Forehead. Please explain to me why your mother is calling me, asking about some kind of sleepover?!" Ino sounded pissed. Sakura could just imagine the look on her face.

Sakura swallowed. "Um…"

"Well?! And, while you're at it, how about you tell me what the hell's been up with you?!"

"Ino," Sakura said weakly, but Ino gave her no room to speak. "You disappeared on us for an entire month, Forehead, a _month._ And then you come back and act like you don't even _know_ us. _Me. _You ostracize yourself, beg to come back, and after one fight – _one fight – _you disappear off the face of the earth for a summer, but everything's okay now because you've got _new friends._ I get that I suck – _I get it. _But what the hell, Sakura?! What the_ fucking hell?"_

Ino's voice was getting choked; Sakura could hear that. She swallowed. "Ino, please. Just cover for me. I – I promise I'll explain everything to you. I – I'd take last year back, if I could. But I can't explain everything right now. I can't. I'm – I – I'm at the Glass Hotel. There's some big shit going down. I'm not asking you to believe me. I – please. Cover for me, to my mom. Just for tonight. Then you can chew me out all you want."

She was rambling.

_Ino…_Sakura would never pin her to be _this_ torn-up over their falling-out. _Goes to prove what bad communication does to you._

_But why now, all of a sudden? _

"A hotel," Ino repeated flatly. "At night."

"I'm not in the middle of a rabbit-screw," Sakura snapped. Boy, where was the headache coming from? It was making her moody.

An awkward pause.

And suddenly, as if on cue, they both burst out laughing. Maybe it was the stress, maybe it was the strange humor connection best friends had, maybe it was genuinely funny. They'd never know.

"I believe you," Ino said. "Fine. I'll cover. But you owe me an explanation, big time, Forehead."

"You'll get one, Pig," Sakura told her, not without affection. "I have to go now – I'll talk to you later."

"Bye. And Sakura?"

Sakura yawned. "Yea?"

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

The line went dead, and Sakura put her phone back. Suddenly, her hands were shaking and it became difficult to keep her eyes open. She wasn't having an anxiety attack – she was actually about to pass out.

_What? Why am I so tired? Was there something in the food -? _

She yawned again, and fought to stand. Suddenly her limbs became heavy and it was a battle in and of itself to keep her eyelids open.

_Oh, crap._

She didn't even have time to properly feel happy at the call before she passed out.

x.x.x

Skye saw Sakura leave the table, and waited a little more than five minutes before following suit. She offered Gaara a reassuring smile that probably turned out more like a grimace and stood. "See you soon." Gaara nodded, and muttered a, "Be careful," before she left. He watched her go and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

It seemed that almost as soon as she was gone, all hell broke loose.

Some big, ginger guy two seats down was screaming at a waiter, going absolutely _batshit _on him – some, including Gaara, stood. Kimimaro put his hand on the boy's shoulder, as if trying to calm him, and it seemed to work for a second.

Then the bigger guy grabbed a steak knife. He didn't know if the boy was able to stab the waiter, because everyone was rushing toward the scene to try and _stop_ him.

Then there was blood all over the place and people were running, running, _running._ Gaara was beginning to feel lightheaded and see red, all at once – it wasn't good, _couldn't_ be good.

_Find Naruto and book it. _

Naruto, Naruto. He was blond, right? It was becoming hard to remember.

Then he saw that _one_ face, and he was lost to rage.

x.x.x

Unlike Sakura, Skye had skipped going to the bathroom altogether and had simply slinked out of the banquet thing and up the stairs. She would've taken the elevator, but…

She had seen too many movies and had read too many zombie survival guides. She wasn't about to trust anything but her own two legs.

But man, these stairs were tiring. Like, _seriously._ They were only on the, what, fifth floor?

_Man, you're outta shape._

She was yawning by the time she was at her door, and when she stumbled into the room, she realized that they all had been very, very naïve.

_We ate their food. Shit. _

Those were her last thoughts before promptly falling onto the floor.

Everything went black.

x.x.x

**Kinda short, I guess. But the rest doesn't fit in– the next segments need to be posted together, and they'll probably need to be split. -.-"**

**Anyway, thanks for the feedback. =D**

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Well. I've decided to add the time/place at the beginning of every segment, because things are getting down to the wire. I tried not to jump around too much; hopefully no one's too confused. **

**8:12 PM: Dining room**

Disorientation.

People were screaming, roaring, growling, running –

Everything was action around Naruto. He tried in vain to search for Gaara, to _escape,_ to call out – but the ruckus had been started and no one was stopping. A fist collided with the back of his head, and something inside him _snap-ped. _

With a snarl, he turned and landed a punch in the guy's jaw – but them someone was grabbing him from behind and there was a pricking in his side and thing began to slow down – or was he sped up?

And then he wa g…

Blackness.

**9:22 PM, conference hall.**

Orochimaru didn't look his age. He was fifty-one, but many would assume that he was forty-one. He had a natural charisma, a way of holding himself that drew people in and chased them away in equal measures. In his youth, one could have called him desire personified. Sin in a suit.

When he stepped up to the podium to speak, naturally people listened. But now was a challenge of a different nature – he had somehow been given the task of quieting a room of boys just recently woken from an anesthesia -induced slumber. They were, for lack of better word, cuffed to their seats, but that didn't stop any hostilities.

Which was a good thing, he reminded himself. His experiments – the Sound Five – were significantly calmer than any Jinchuuriki. That was good – they were proving to be more self-controlled, wasting less energy, the ice to Jinchuuriki's fire.

_That is, except Jugo. _

The boy had already been put in his holding cell – even with Kimimaro there to calm him, Orochimaru didn't want to take any chances. Not until they were inside the arena.

_Such a shame that they won't be able to work as a team…_

And it was a pity. Separate, the Sound Five were prodigious – but when working together, they were extraordinary. Truly brilliant.

_Save for Sasuke and Kimimaro, of course. They work best on their own._ Techinically, there were seven – Sakon and Ukon were twins and treated as a unit; add Jugo, Suigestu, and Tayuya (the only female on the team); Kimimaro and Sasuke were switched out as the leader. Superior as they were in combat, their social skills were lacking.

Orochimaru drew himself from his musings and spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, for there were actually people in the room, towards the front. "Tonight we are gathered for quite the scientific revolution."

And he went into details about the birth of Jinchuuriki, a brief outline of the scientists, the birth of his own independent studies, and of course, the science behind it.

Jinchuuriki altered their specimens in the early stages of development – either in utero or as an infant. Their very DNA was on steroids; advancement was in the fiber of their being. In theory, when provoked enough, a Jinchuuriki would be able to convert the thermal energy in their body into a tangible, kinetic substance.

They were all Marked as infants, to tell them apart – but from what Orochimaru understood, some of the Jinchuuriki had an addiction to pain and enjoyed excessive piercings and tattoos.

Otogakure – the official name for _his_ experiments – were altered differently. Between the ages of nine and twelve – before puberty – they were all injected with a serum that changed their biological structure. The mitochondria – the energy-makers in the cells – were made more efficient. Their DNA was made more malleable. And, when provoked, they would (in theory) transform into a subhuman creature that would allow them to wreak havoc as they wished.

Whereas Jinchuuriki were neohuman, Otogakure were a different species entirely.

"And now," Orochimaru said, "You, ladies and gentlemen, are about to witness the kick start of post-humanism as we pit these experiments against one another." He paused, for dramatic effect. "So without further ado, let the games begin."

**10:51 PM, first-floor ladies' room.**

Sakura awoke slumped on the bathroom floor, still in her dressy clothes and heels, bag in hand.

_Shit. I passed out in here – but why? Am I sick? Or was it the food…?_

Sakura had seen enough movies to know that you didn't eat the enemies food, read enough fantasy to know that when a not-human offered you anything, you didn't take it.

But that couldn't apply to real life, could it?

No matter. She'd dwell on that later. Right now, she had to find Naruto and the others. _Where are they?_

The banquet hall was empty; there was no sign that anyone had occupied it previously. Sakura checked the clock on her phone – ten fifty-one PM.

She had been out for nearly three hours. Naruto, Skye, and Gaara were nowhere in sight.

She tried calling them on their cell phones – no answer. _Any of them._

This was bad. Really bad.

Sakura could feel an oncoming anxiety attack – she needed to calm herself, now. She inhaled deeply, exhaled evenly. _Don't think for a minute. _

It passed – as soon as it did, the cogs began turning in her mind.

She bit her lip – what was going on? They would've checked for her, right? She knew that she was supposed to head to the room, but the bathroom would've been an obvious place to check.

_So that means either they neglected to find me or something's up. _

And if the feeling in her gut was anything to go by, it was the latter.

_Okay, okay. Maybe they didn't have a chance to find you. They could be in the room right now, waiting up. Just go back. The least you can do is change and take a look. _

So she did. The halls were mostly empty at this hour; she went to the elevator, pressed the 'up' button, and waited.

It could be because of nerves; it could also be because she was tired; it could be because the man moved so silently.

But Sakura didn't hear him until it was too late.

He clasped a huge hand around her mouth before she could scream. "Come quietly," he said, "Or I kill you and your Jinchuuriki."

_Naruto!_

Partly because she needed to know what was going on and partly because of the gun pressed into her back, she nodded and let him force her into the elevator. He hit the 'basement' button and she waited with bated breath in the ominous silence that ensued.

_Naruto…please be okay…_

x.x.x

**10:57 PM, hotel room 301. **

Skye came to groggily, then jumped when she realized that she wasn't in her room.

_The hotel. Crap. I fell asleep – fuck! They did something with the food. That's the only…_

Where were the others?

If they did something to the food, then she and Sakura (as the designated females and weighing less than the guys –) would naturally pass out first. Sakura's comatose body wasn't in the room…

_She must've passed out on the way up…but where are the guys? _

Fuck. _Fuck. FUCK. _

This couldn't be good. At all.

Skye double-checked the room. Nothing. Then just outside the room. Still nothing.

_Shit. _

She was panicking now, really panicking. "Calm yourself," she said aloud. "And get down to business."

She changed into her street clothes and put her hair up. She laced up her actual boots, and grabbed her phone.

_Try and find Sakura. After that…._

She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

x.x.x

**10:24, executive HQ.**

The scientists were congregated around a large table. Graphs and other visual aids were strewn around the room, and everyone was talking amongst themselves while the three chairmen deliberated.

There should be four – in fact, there was an empty chair for him. But Kabuto Yakushi was currently incarcerated – and there hadn't been time to make arrangements to compensate for that.

Riku Mizuki, Orochimaru Hiruzen, and Hiro no Sabaku were at the head of the table, talking in not-so-quiet voices. Presently, they were mapping out the last bits of the final installment of the night.

"Kabuto had it planned out. Where the hell is it?" Sabaku snarled at no one in particular.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Patience. Kabuto had an unfortunate run in with the law. This really is a minor setback."

"He had everything planned out with the scientific aspect of Jinchuuriki in mind," Orochimaru said, sounding bored with the two of them, "And his methods were the most accurate."

"Then we just apply logic to the setup of whom versus whom and we should have something akin to what Kabuto intended," Riku said easily.

"What I don't understand is why we didn't get the records before now! Kabuto's house, his office, hell a prison _phone call_ would have sufficed!" Hiro growled.

Blue eyes flashed. "Well, Sabaku, why didn't you do it then?" Riku asked in a tone too polite to be nice.

"Kabuto destroyed all evidence of the project," Orochimaru interjected before Sabaku could speak and _really_ piss of the other man, "And due to…complications, we were not able to contact him. The best we can do now is stop arguing and construct a set of our own."

That managed to quell the two men. "Very well,"Riku muttered. "So, Tayuya against Fu would be natural, given their stats."

"Tayuya against Utakata would be a more interesting show," Sabaku said. "Pit Fu against Watanuki."

"Suigestu against Killer B," Orochimaru instructed. "That should be an interesting show."

And so it was done. For nearly an hour they debated, setup, knocked down, and decided upon the fates of the two dozen or so teenagers. Some fights they made more of a slaughter out of – but mostly they kept it even. It may be all about the show tonight, but scientific data had to be gathered where it could.

"Before all is set in stone, we need to decide upon the crème al la crème," Orochimaru muttered, after a while. "I can offer Kimimaro and Sasuke as the best. Who have you to stand up to them?"

The jab didn't go unnoticed by either Riku or Hiro, but, after going over the boys' sheets, said, "Gaara and Kev are arguably the strongest of the Jinchuuriki. But – I'll admit to this – I want to see Kev against Jugo."

"That leaves Gaara and Yagura," Sabaku said in a bored tone. "Yagura's strong, but his stamina is nothing on Sasuke's – or Kimimaro's, for that matter."

"What about that Uzumaki boy?" Riku said. "I'll bet he'll put up a show."

"Uzumaki was listed as a failure a decade ago."

"So was Gaara, but look where the numbers are now. Set Naruto against Sasuke. You," at this, Riku directed his words to Orochimaru, "Say that Sasuke is slow to transform?"

"He has less of a hair-trigger activation in comparison to the others, yes," Orochimaru said tightly.

"And I'll bet that Uzumaki is one of the best. There was a sample taken, from his blood – it matches everything we hoped for, and more. His low level of aggression is a blessing in disguise – the ability to conform to society's norms is a gift most of the experiments don't have – even Gaara." Riku looked rather proud of himself as he spoke.

Sabaku, however, was growing agitated with the entire thing. "Fine. Yagura against Sakon and Ukon, Gaara against Kimimaro, and Naruto against Sasuke."

A not-so-nice smile played across Orochimaru's lips. "With this in order," he said with a chuckle, "I belive we are in for a show."

**11:01, location unknown.**

Naruto was in a cage.

A motherfuckin' _cage._

He had been separated from all the other boys and led –quite forcibly – up a level or two and into an oversized dog-crate.

He _should_ be able to get out of it – but it must have been reinforced with something and bolted to the floor, because _he could not break free. _

With a roar, he slammed into the side – again. It barely even shook. The bars, though constructed like a dog crate, were thick – half as thick as his wrist. Whoever had constructed this wasn't fucking around.

He had to get out of here. He, as a mere mortal and not a PhD in a scientific field, hadn't understood half of what that guy – what _any_ of the guys – had said. He wasn't stupid though – whoever was running this was going to make the boys fight one another. And the boys who had been experimented on were supposed to go batshit and do some crazy jawn or another – and, -and –

His brain hurt. With another growl, he launched himself at the wall of the cage.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Nothing.

"Save your energy," someone drawled apathetically. "It's useless."

Naruto looked over in the direction of the voice, panting. The boy was dressed in the white garb that they had been told to change into – some kind of pants that were tighter than sweats but offered more room to move around in than jeans and a snug t-shirt. His black hair hung lank around his face and his skin was sallow. He had unnaturally long arms and legs, and there were dark circles around his eyes, but he didn't carry himself like he was exhausted. He was seated cross-legged on the floor of his cell, regarding Naruto with disdain.

"You can't just give up!" Naruto yelled. He was riled up and angry, the sensible part of his mind could recognize that. But he wasn't fully in tune with the sensible part of his mind right now – he was seeing red, even as he stood and spoke.

The boy scoffed. "Don't you get it? No one's gonna get out of this untouched. At least half of us are gonna die. Do you really want to try and fight it?"

"Rather fight it than accept death!" Naruto growled, glaring at the boy. Dimly, he wondered what had happened to him to make him seem so old – something about his dark eyes suggested that he was ages older and stuck in a kid's body.

Naruto wouldn't be surprised if that was the case – he'd seen enough, including those freaky conjoined twins. This seemed mundane in comparison.

"Better death than an experiment," he sneered. "Do you want to end up a freak? And I'd stop screaming if I were you. You're up next. They're coming to take you away."

"To the funny farm?" Naruto snapped back. The boy gave him a skeptical look. "Loser," he muttered under his breath.

"Shut up, bastard!" Naruto retorted. He had caught the faintest noise – something – someone- was coming down the hall.

"It's your calling card," the boy remarked, readjusting himself.

Naruto snarled something unintelligible to him, just as a man stepped up to his crate. He was wearing sunglasses and a black suit - and he was carrying a rather formidable gun.

"Jinchuuriki 00-9. You are slated to move to the holding cell on level zero. You are not to resist. You are not to speak unless directly spoken to. You are not to hurt, maim, or otherwise cause harm to your handlers. You are to come quietly and in an orderly fashion and remain in level zero holding cell until given further instructions."

"Or what?" Naruto sneered. Flacking off to the security probably wasn't the best way to help his situation, but what was he supposed to do? Sit and twiddle his thumbs and be a good boy?

"Or _she_ gets it between the eyes," a new voice said.

Naruto whirled. He hadn't noticed, but a huge, tan, man was standing in the entrance of the room.

And in a one-armed, vice-like grip, he held Sakura.

And the other arm held a pistol, right against her head.

x.x.x

**Alright – I essentially combined Team Hebi/Taka with the Sound Four/Five – they're Orochimaru's bunch. **

**Hopefully the characters won't get handled the idiot ball again, eh? ^_^**

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	45. Chapter 45

**Damn, this is overdue. I hope it lives up to expectations. **

_**A note to the squeamish: **_**the chapter contains mild to moderate gore. If you have a weak stomach, I suggest you stop reading as soon as you see 'brain bleach' in Skye's section, and pick up at the end of the POV segment. I don't want to be responsible for any keyboards ruined due to vomiting. Actually, it might be better if you skip from 'experimental sect' to 'holding cell B.' You can use ctrl +F to know exactly where. **

**I may/may not be stretching the T rating here…**

**But enough of my rambling. **

**.**

**.**

**.**

**11:09, holding cell. **

Never in his life could Gaara remember someone making him do something he didn't want to do. Not truly, not like this, not when he actually_ fought_ to get his way. They managed to keep him controlled by the skin of their teeth – it took six burly men to keep him still, and another three to pin him so they could wrest him into a straightjacket. Even then he fought, kicking, biting, snarling – all to no avail.

He was completely helpless, even as they threw him ungraciously into an iron cell and slammed the door shut.

"If you don't calm the _fuck_ down," a stocky man in a black suit said lowly, gently, fiercely, "_Right_ goddamn now, I'll find her –" here he held up a picture of Skye, "And make you watch as I_ slit her throat."_

**11:23, Penthouse Suite**

Kev twisted and cracked his back, rolled his shoulders. Tonight was gonna be one hellvua night, that was for sure. He couldn't help but grin whenever he thought of it. The fact of the matter was, he _liked_ fighting. He _liked_ the fear in people's eyes, the adrenaline rush, the blood. He didn't like _killing,_ per say – but he was happy when he battled.

At first he had thought that something was wrong with him –but now he knew. It was his makeup. Just like Epsilons were happy with being the fucking slave labor in that book – shit, what was it called? Rynn was always reading things like that – oh yeah, they were like the song lyrics – _Brave New World._ Just like the Gammas and Deltas and what-the-hell-else, he was made for fighting.

And he loved it.

He was growing agitated, though, stuck in the hotel room.

"You're going to wear a rut into the carpet if you keep pacing," Rynn observed dryly. Kev looked at the other boy through his bangs and scowled. "Nothing else to do."

Rynn rolled his eyes. "Don't you think you should, I dunno, stretch or something? Seems like it's going to be intense."

Kev snorted. Leave it to Rynn to worry about little details like that. "What was that quote? Vedi, vinny, viti? The thing with Caesar."

"'Veni, vidi, vici.' I came, I saw, I conquered." Rynn's response was automatic, and he looked almost irritated that he had corrected his friend. "And Caesar was assassinated. FYI."

"So was Kennedy. And Lincoln. And you know why?"

"Enlighten me."

Kev stopped, faced his friend, and grinned. "They let their guard down. They were human. They –"

The door opened, and Kev cut himself off. Kyon entered, looking more nervous than usual. "Uh, Kev, there's ah, well, they plan to –"

"I _know_ we're fighting, kiddo. Hell, it's why I'm _here._" Kev tried, he really did, to not be short with the boy. Kyon was uncomfortable in his own skin, and timid, and everything else that just meant 'jumpy.'

"Kev, you're going to get _killed._" He really looked distressed now – cracking his knuckles, voice going high at the end.

Kev took two steps forward and patted Kyon on the shoulder. "Calm down. Look, nothing's gonna happened – worst comes to worse, the other guy will die of complications. Remember? I'm _Kev._ I don't get hurt."

"I'm _serious_, Kev! I – I was looking at the thing – it was lying there, right next to the fridge – I accidently spilled coffee on it – everyone's going to _die."_

"Yeah – the other team. Look, you're probably jumpy from the coffee. The scientists wouldn't let any of us die from injuries if they could help it –"

The blond boy shook his head. "No, they plan on _euthanizing_ you."

There was a moment of heavy silence. It took a moment for everything to click in Kev's mind – first, _euthanize. _That meant killing old people who were about to die, right? Or putting down dogs. Or…

_Lab mice. Fucking shit in motherfucking hell._

"You're not serious," Rynn said, crossing his arms. "You can't be. They're not gonna – Kev's dad _wouldn't –_"

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag," a man said from behind them, "I'm afraid I can't let you roam around."

**11:10**

Sakura's heart was beating fast-too-fast and her knees were wobbly. She made eye contact with Naruto – she was asking a question, but she didn't know what.

_I don't want to die. Oh God._

The moment lasted forever – Naruto stood absolutely still, and the metal of the gun pressed into her temple, and she was desperately trying not to hyperventilate because that would be _bad._

She wanted to laugh. _Laugh!_ How fucking twisted was that? She but her lip and forced herself to calm down, just as Naruto's shoulders sagged and he consented to go willingly, but she didn't hear his words because now things were fast-too-fast and –

"Move!" the man yanked her arm, tugging her in the opposite direction. Sakura followed mechanically, mind whirring and yet strangely empty.

Suddenly, a hard, cold, _pain_ snapped her out of her thoughts-but-not-thoughts.

She blinked. The man had brought the barrel of the gun across her face. "_Answer_ when I _speak_ to you!" he snarled, gripping her arm too-tightly. Sakura nodded, gripped with a cold terror.

_He could kill me. He could kill me right now, and no one would know. _

She tried to swallow, but couldn't. Tears pricked her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. _Not now. No weakness._

Another slap, harder this time. "_Answer, bitch, or I'll make you swallow a bullet."_

"Y- yes, sir," Sakura stuttered, biting her lip, breathing shallow. She had to control the situation. He had a gun – and when it came down to it, the guy with the gun won. _Swallowing a bullet or otherwise._

_Get a grip. You can't just cower in fear. Not this time. Not with lives on the line. Get a grip, girl!_

"Do you have your phone?"

"No, sir."

"_You lying whore!"_ he shoved her to the ground. She kept her balance – just barely. _He has a gun. You have to get that off him. You have to stop him, and find Naruto. Get the others, and get the flying hell out of here._

Sakura stopped. She knew that voice. It was what psychologists called a 'coping mechanism'; to put up with trauma, Sakura's mind had created an alter ego of sorts. A hard-ass, tough, bitch of a girl who never let anything get in her way. Her inner. Inner Sakura.

Sakura hated her.

Whenever she was nasty, or especially vicious, it was Inner Sakura. Whenever she stiffened her upper lip and punched someone – it was her Inner. Therapy had banished the Inner – supposedly.

_Bullshit, and you know it. _

_If you want to get out of this alive, you need to act _NOW.

_Right._ Sakura didn't think; she couldn't. She just saw that the guy was more or less open – and she went in. She grabbed the gun out of his hand easily enough, kicked him _hard_ in the groin, and smacked the barrel of the gun against his temple- more out of spite than necessity.

And she fucking _ran._

**11:15, experimental sect.**

Skye was walking down the hallways, trying not to look too out of place but probably failing miserably. She hadn't seen anyone, yet; the elevator had taken her to a basement of sorts, but as she walked down the hallways, there were cells on either side of her. There was a cloying scent in the air as she entered the hallway– like overripe fruit and rotted flowers_._

It _had_ to be the HQ of Jinchuuriki. It _had_ to. In the cells there were dog crates, and in the dog crates…

Skye was going to need brain bleach, and a lot of it. There were sub-human creatures, all languishing in cages. Some were vicious, with needle-sharp, serrated teeth that were too big for their jaw and rancid breath. They lunged for her as she walked – more like jogged at this point – past, elongated jaws disturbingly, smoothly connected with more or less human faces. There was something –dear god – its innards were its outards. It was on its side, and there was a _beating heart_ right there, right on the floor of the cage. The creature looked like it shouldn't be able to do anything – like a lazy fat basset hound – but it snarled at her as she passed, as if to say, "What you lookin' at?"

There was something that looked like it was half-spider, with and too-wide, too-many-teeth, Cheshire Cat grin and brown, leathery skin and eyes like a baby bird.

_Screw the Cat, that's more like a Chelsea Grin gone horribly wrong. Or right._

There was a bath of blood. A human arm dangling over a cell full of hungry, angry mutant dogs with scorpion tails. Something was skinning something – or someone – and something else was eating a writhing something's flesh…

_While it was still alive. Oh god, I'm going to puke. _

And – _dear fucking unholy hell._ She pulled back her foot and almost retched. She had discovered the source of the smell. Before her was a pool of blood, and in it were the mangled remains - like someone had taken a heavy-duty weed whacker to a corpse – tiny bits of flesh, in the blood – bite marks – _dear fucking god – _an infant was nailed against the wall, dead, blood d n…..

She couldn't take it. She ran, she ran, she _fucking ran_, down the hallway, and she took a right, not daring to look in the cages, not daring to do _anything_ until she found a corner she could crawl into forever and _never, never, have to see those sights again. _

She ran until she bumped into a very solid, very human something.

_You have got to be fucking kidding me. _

She could have laughed.

Oh god – she _was laughing. _Or was she crying? She couldn't tell.

And then there was sweet surrender.

**11:31, holding cell B.**

Gaara was still out of control when Kev was escorted into his cell. He went with far less trouble than Gaara did, but there was something different about the boy. Kev's cell was right next to Gaara's, separated by iron bars – though Plexiglas probably would have been more effective (or whatever it was they used to keep the murderers in the asylum.)

_They want us riled up. And it's easier to do that when you can stick your arm into someone else's territory._

Gaara went berserk, but it all stopped when one of the guards told him to shut p and sit still, or I swear to god I'll kill them. Gaara snarled – it was more animal than human – and kicked the wooden bench that was mounted to the wall. It broke. Satisfied (or maybe not) Gaara sunk to the floor.

Kev only half -paid attention. His mind was still whirring from what he had heard – and Kyon and Rynn had been taken somewhere, and Kev could only wonder what was happening to them. Unconsciously, his fists clenched.

He cast a look over at Gaara – he had finally calmed down, after ten solid minutes of screaming and ramming his shoulder into the one wall, as if _that_ would help him escape. But one of the men had threatened Skye's life, and Naruto's, and that sort of helped him calm down.

Which was good, because Skye didn't deserve to die on _his_ account.

"They'll actually go through with that, you know." Kev said after a minute of flinty silence. "They're not fucking with you."

Gaara grunted. Kev glanced over again. He looked _pissed –_ like he was about to snap. "So don't let her get hurt cause of a motherfucker like you."

The powers of speech still seemed to elude Gaara, because he all but snarled at Kev.

Kev rolled his eyes. "Growling at me ain't gonna get you anywhere. You know," he lowered his voice. "Do you even know what's going to happen? Do you? _Do you fucking know?_"

"_No,"_ Gaara growled viciously. "Enlighten me."

Kev's eyes flashed. "They're going to kill us. All of us. No matter _what_ happens. The scientists – they want to –"

Gaara snorted. "Whatever you say."

"Dammit! I'm not _fucking_ with you!" Kev roared. "Fucking _listen_ to me! We don't have any time – as soon as this is all over? _Snap! _We're out! I don't know about you, but _I _don't plan on dying!"

But Gaara – the motherfucker – turned his back.

Kev hissed to himself and punched the wall. Blood pooled around his knuckles, but he watched in morbid fascination as the bruises swelled, hurt – and then began to heal.

He licked the blood from his hands and spat, lay down and laced his hands behind his head.

_As long as _he_ behaves, he can go fuck himself. I don't give a shit. _

_We just need to bust out. _

**11:25, location unknown. **

Skye stared numbly at the man in front of her. After she had passed out, he had taken her to a closet of sorts (or maybe just a small room) and had laid her out on the floor. There were propane tanks in nearly every free space, but he paid them no mind; he was sitting in a chair quietly, two steaming cups of something in front of him. She tried to speak, but found her throat choked; instead, she observed the man.

He was effeminate, that was for sure – pretty in the way boys could be; high cheekbones, pale skin, dark eyes – she wondered, objectively, if he was gay – _no_ guys should be able to work a bangs/ponytail combination like he did. He just appeared too elegant for twenty-first century.

"Who are you?" she asked once she found her voice.

"Itachi," he replied simply. "And you, if I may ask?"

Skye stared at him for a minute, then figured that if he wanted her hurt she would be hurting. "Skye."

He nodded, and beckoned for her to take the second chair. When she did, he pushed a cup toward her. "Drink. It will help."

Skye eyed it – she couldn't help but think of the tub of blood when she did, even if it _smelled_ like cocoa. "Sorry, but the only food I had tonight left me half-comatose."

He sighed, and in one fluid movement reached across the table and took a sip from the mug. "It's not poisoned."

She swallowed. "Okay." She took a sip, but had a hard time getting the sweet drink down. Her stomach was still contorted into knots. Was she really crazy? Had she imagined everything? Or was that there, and now was she unstable? What… A heavy silence hung over them, and then she ventured to ask, "What did I see? Back there. Before I ran into you. And why did you bring me here?" That voice couldn't be hers – it was small and weak and unsure and _oh god, that was a baby. Nailed to the fucking wall. _

She was going to be sick.

He eyed her for a moment. "I brought you here because you passed out. I don't know what you saw," he said, "But…that particular sect has a chemical in the air to keep the…experiments subdued. However, it makes normal humans hallucinate. Think of it as a bad trip."

_Ah. So I _am_ crazy._ Skye didn't know if it was a relief or not. _Just ignore it. Maybe it'll go away. _"Have you ever…done that?"

To this he offered no answer, only: "I am genuinely sorry for whatever you saw."

"So, ah, do you work for…." She gestured with her hand. "Them?" _Keep the conversation going, don't think about it. _

Itachi shrugged. "Once upon a time."

Skye narrowed her eyes. "And here I thought you were a half-decent person."

A corner of his mouth twitched. "Indeed." He paused. "However, I left them several years ago. I'm here to get my brother."

"Maybe you are half-decent then," Skye amended, taking another sip of the cocoa. He was right; it was helping – at least, when she wasn't thinking about it.

"It is nice that one person seems to think so," he said, "Even if she is a prisoner of Stockholm."

"Uh…what?" _He's not saying I have _Stockholm _Syndrome, is he? Granted, whatever I saw here was fucked up, but…._

"You've been a victim to twisted science. You're bound to think any person who doesn't want to study you is half-decent."

Skye shook her head. _Telling him won't hurt…I think._ "I – I came here. With my friends – two of them are Jinchuuriki."

"The Bijuu," he murmured to himself. "And you wind up all the way down here."

_Unfortunate, for you and me both. _"That's the gist of it. Hey…do you have any idea where they might be?" there were other questions pestering the back of her mind; _are you _sure_ that I was just hallucinating? Why are you here? Why were you there, just when I needed you? Who's your brother? What's going on?_ But she knew that she couldn't; she had no right to, not really, not now anyway. And right now, the most important thing was to find everyone and _get out._

"You're on the lowest level," he told her. "This is where the failed experiments are kept, along with the more primal ones. As you ascend, the experiments get less animalistic and more human – but just as, if not more, cruel. The Bijuu – your Jinchuuriki – will be on the second highest level of the basement." He checked an expensive-looking watch on his wrist (it really looked out of place, to Skye). "You would want to make haste. They plan to pit the experiments of Jinchuuriki and Otogakure against one another – and it started at fifteen minutes ago. They will be in holding cells – here." He reached into the pocket of his trench coat and offered her a thin, plain key.

"It's a skeleton key," he said as she took it. "It should open any lock on the cells." He stood, and she followed suit. "Come. My brother is in a separate apartment, but I will show you a separate set of stairs. You will not have to relive your…experience."

"Thank you." Skye wished she could express her gratitude – this guy didn't look like the hugging type, and she was still feeling queasy – even if it was just a 'bad trip.' She wouldn't wish that on _anyone_ – and she knew she was going to have nightmares. _Stop thinking about it. You need to get Sakura and Naruto and Gaara and Sai. Calm. Down. _

Itachi nodded, and led her out of the room. Now she could see that his coat was really stylized, with red clouds outlined in white on the bottom and probably tons of pockets.

He stopped a ways down the hall and opened a door. "Here," he said.

"Thanks," she told him. "For everything. And good luck with your brother."

"It's no trouble," he said, "And the best of luck to you, Skye."

Skye nodded, took a steadying breath, and walked up the stairs.

**Okay. **

**Did I stretch the T rating? I think I might. **

**I am aware of how 'convenient' Inner Sakura is. When I wrote Sakura angry, I thought, 'okay, this is her Inner coming out,' but guess who never added that? *This author* And I despise it when continuity is butchered. I **_**will**_** amend this. **

**Which brings me to the third point: I will be doing a WILD. EFFING. EDITING. Of this story once it's done. Take out the filler, make it less 'slice of life' and more action/adventure/whatever the fuck this thing turned out to be. I'm undecided if I should make it a separate 'edited' version, or just edit the original format. I **_**may**_** just leave this up, and have less than 20+ chapters that buildup to the plot . **

**Any suggestions? **

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	46. Chapter 46

**Alright, folks. This is way. E'ffing. Overdue. The Real World sucks sometimes. **

**But you lovely people rock. You keep rocking on ****. Because if you stop rocking, then that'd suck. And it sucks when people suck over the internet. **

**(I'm beginning to think that lack of sleep is getting to me.) **

**11:04, location unknown**

Being hunted. Sakura had never known such fear. She was the prey, the pursued, the chased. She was running as fast as she could but still she could sense them behind her, hear the shouts – even though when she looked back the guy she had escaped from was less than hot on her heels.

But still she ran.

Her legs were burning, and she was gasping, and – _shit,_ those were stairs. She veered to the right, down the corridor, and slammed into a very pale, very male, someone.

_Sai. _

He caught her by the shoulders, stopping her. His fingers dug into her skin, but Sakura hardly noticed. She was scared.

More than that. She was _terrified._

"Sakura," he said lowly, but she paid him no heed as she wrenched out of his grip. _He's coming he's coming he'scomingohGOD._

Sai didn't speak. He clasped a gloved hand around Sakura's mouth, and used his free hand to pull her back into the shadow of the corridor.

"Be quiet," he said, lowly, "the light is weak. He will assume that you continued straight."

Sakura's eyes widened. She nodded, and waited. Blood roared in her ears and adrenaline sung in her veins as she stood there, hardly daring to breath, listening to the man's footsteps as they approached, then were _right_ there – but they didn't stop as he continued down the hallway, thinking he was chasing her.

Sai waited until his footfalls faded away before he relinquished his grip on her. She took a step forward and turned around to face him.

"Have you seen anyone?" Sai asked her, voice low and urgent.

"N- Naruto. Just him. He w-was in a cage. They t-took him away." She crossed her arms so her hands wouldn't shake.

"To fight," Sai said gravely. "Come on. We have to find everyone, and get out of here – it might be too late for Naruto."

"Don't say that," Sakura almost hissed. "You _can't _think like that. That's how you _lose._"

Sai hesitated a moment. Before he could speak, they heard footsteps.

By the time they turned to face them, the man from before slammed Sai into a wall and went to grab for Sakura.

Adrenaline pumped through her. She didn't have time to act – just react. When the man was within grabbing distance, she shifted to the side, snagged his wrist, and used his own momentum to help him pass her.

She also added a shove for good measure, both hands in the middle of his back…

…and down the stairs he went.

She glanced back at Sai. He was picking himself up, wiping blood from his mouth. "You okay?" she asked him. "We should get going, that probably didn't slow him down too much…Sai?"

The boy was shaking his head. "He's down and out. Do you hear anything?"

Sakura listened – for a groaning, footsteps, anything – but the only thing she heard was Sai's breathing and her own heartbeat.

"Is he…?" Sakura didn't want to say the word _dead. _

Sai shook his head. "It's too dark to tell."

A lead ball formed in her stomach and her breaths became short. _I'm going to be sick – _

But Sai's hand was on her shoulder. "The stairs are steep…he's most likely unconscious. For now. In the meantime, I believe Naruto needs us?" He looked down at her.

Sakura shook her head. _Focus. Focus. The bastard deserved it anyway._ "Right. Let's – let's go. You know the way up?"

Sai _mhmed._ "Follow me – and be quiet…are you going to be okay?"

Sakura looked up at him. There was genuine concern on his face – the expression almost surprised her.

Almost. "Yeah – I – I'll be fine."

_Oh, my god. _

Sakura ignored her thoughts and wouldn't let any sentences form.

She was sixteen, an honors student, five-four, barely a hundred ten pounds – logically, it didn't make sense.

But the fact remained that she might have just killed a man.

**11:11, Fleet Street**

Hidan was freaking out, and Temari had no idea why.

She'd heard him rant before, and really it was like Urban Dicrtionary vomit with creative cussing and few intelligible words thrown in. Mostly she just blocked it out until he could articulate; oh, shit, he was expecting a response – and she had definitely caught the words _you, Gaara, _and _dead._

But, rather than let him know of her inattentiveness, she merely narrowed her eyes and said, "Want to try telling me that again _without_ the screaming and frat boy lingo?"

She was probably toeing a thin line – he was _pissed,_ more so than she'd ever seen him. She crossed her arms and fixed him with The Stare that could quell two _very_ difficult little brothers.

It had no such effect on Hidan.

"_This._" He held out a slip of fancy paper.

"What about it?" she took it from him and examined it. Really nothing of consequence, but it was addressed to a 'Mr. Sabaku.' "Kankuro get invited somewhere?"

Hidan rolled his eyes. "Fucking seriously? I thought you had more than two brain cells to rub together. Read. It."

_Someone's on their period,_ she thought, skimming the invitation. "So? One of my brothers got invited to a fancy hotel for gods-know-what. What's the big deal?"

Okay, there were several possible 'big deals' about that, most of them revolving around her not-knowing, but there was no reason for Hidan to get this worked up. Kankuro was twenty and Gaara was turning seventeen; they were in full capacity to take care of themselves.

_It's Gaara, more likely than not. Kankuro's upstairs, cramming for midterms. _

Hidan exhaled sharply through his nose. "Fucking look me in the eye and tell me you don't know."

She jutted out her chin, glared right into his eyes. "I- don't - know."

Hidan made a strangled sound. "They're the scientific equivalent of the business man who fucks children on the side. _And your little brother's there, goddammit!_"

Temari exhaled. "You're not blowing this out of proportion?" It was both a question and a warning.

"Mother of God, I'm _not, _seriously."

"Then what do I do?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Sit tight – don't get your panties in a twist, I have to make a phone call – and then _we're _fucking busting him out, seriously."

**11:35, hallway**

Skye was in the upper-level hallway, key held tightly in hand. So far she hadn't been seen, and she'd like to keep it that way. Thus far, it had only been the sound of her breathing and the pounding of her feet on the concrete floor.

But now she definitely heard voices.

Male, talking in low tones with sharp inflections on certain words – it sounded like an argument.

She walked hesitantly towards the conversation, unsure who it was. She stayed to the far side, hugging the wall as she neared the turn.

She held her breath as she got closer, and one boy said, "Shut the fuck up! There's footsteps."

The other person grunted in return. Skye rounded the corner and continued down the hallway, towards the voice. There were cells down the hallway, and in those cells were two boys she recognized.

**11:37, Holding Cell B**

"Gaara!

Skye stepped to the bars, wrapped her hands around them. They were thick and made of steel – there was no way anyone, human or otherwise, would be able to break out of them.

Kev watched as her eyes took in him and Sabaku both. He was lying on his back with his hands laced behind his head. "Well, if it isn't our little girl. What brings you here this fine midnight?"

Gaara looked up at her with dull eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting you the hell out," she told them. "Just – where's Naruto? When you guys were taken…oh my god, what's going on?"

Kev sat up and looked at her. "Fights to the death in an arena, gladiator style. You might want to get yourself outta here before anyone comes, girl." _Jesus Christ, is she an idiot?_

For a minute, she actually looked hesitant. A split second later it was gone, replaced by a cocky grin. "Well, if you two gentlemen have nothing better to do…" iron keys appeared in her hand, swung around her finger. "I have an idea."

"Where did you – you know what, fuck it. Let's get outta here." Kev immediately took back everything he'd ever said that was less than flattering about her.

"Thought so," she responded dryly. "They haven't…_done_ anything to you, have they?"

"No," Gaara said before Kev could respond. "But they'll hurt you if they see you. You should go."

Skye's hand froze midway in unlocking Kev's cell. "What?"

_What the _hell_ is wrong with him?_ Kev though, and Gaara said, "Go. Now."

Kev growled low in his throat. Gaara wasn't impressed. "Are you _dumb?_ C'mon! We get bust _outta _here! Two seconds ago you couldn't control yourself – now _get up_! So we can _leave._"

Gaara glanced at Kev, then went back to watching Skye. She wasn't looking at him, instead concentrating on unlocking Kev's cell. Kev turned away from the other boy and, when Skye was done unlocking his cell, threw open the door.

Kev tensed. _They're coming. _"Hurry," he told Skye as she unlocked Gaara's cell. "They're coming. Get him out so we can _run,_ alright, girl?"

Skye nodded. Her knuckles were white, Kev noticed, and her hands were shaking. He felt like a dick for a split second, then brushed it off. Their _lives_ were on the line. Fuck social manners.

"Don't even bother," Gaara sneered. "It's not worth it."

Skye narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you talking about? I'm busting you out."

"No, you're not," Gaara spat. "Don't kid yourself. It's – useless." The last word was said like a sigh, like he was resigned to his fate, like Gaara didn't care that he could very well die.

"What the – " Skye stepped back. The cell was unlocked, door ajar, Gaara was doing nothing, _and the guards were rounding the corner._

"We don't have fucking _time _for this," Kev growled. Deftly, he took the keys off Skye and shoved her down the hallway by her shoulders. "Run. Find a safe place. I'll find you – they're _coming._"

"What about –"

"I'll take care of _him._ Now fucking _move!"_

He didn't have time to think after that. He didn't even see if she split like she should've. He just whirled with a wild right and caught one of the bouncers right in the trachea. He gaged and stumbled back into the next guy but _shit, _bouncer number two had a _freakin' tranquilizer._

He had to move – fast.

He lashed out with his arm, grabbed the barrel of the gun and wrenched it out of the guy's hand, tossing it aside. The shaft of the key was snug between his second and third finger – _good._ He used it as a shank, and nailed the man _right_ in the solar plexus. Next a swift uppercut, followed by fisting his hands in the man's hair and _slamming_ the fucker's head against the wall…

_Down and out. _

Kev stepped back. There would be more, he knew, especially when they found that he'd escaped. He turned to Gaara, eyes hard. "_Listen,_" he hissed. "You and me, we can take this shit. We're _made_ for it. But Skye? She _can't_, and she's a fucking idiot for even trying. You know what that means? It means that _we_ have to make sure she doesn't get her scrawny ass killed, got it?"

But he didn't do anything. He just stood there, looking at Kev like he was going to kill everyone.

"You know what? _Fuck_ you, you filthy piece of _shit."_

And with that, Kev stormed off. Gaara was a big boy, he could take care of himself. Besides, his cell door was unlocked. He had a good three minutes to decide if he was in or out. If Kev was feeling generous, maybe he'd go back and look for him later.

_But we have bigger things to worry about now._

**11:42, outskirts of arena **

Sakura watched in horror as the bloody, broken body of a sixteen-year old boy was dragged out of the arena. The victor, a muscular, tan boy, was lead down and into an adjacent hallway, already being sedated by medical-looking men.

The arena was designed like a Roman coliseum. The onlookers were seated in stadium seats around a huge playing field that was made up of mostly dirt. There were archways at the bottom, where the contestants would be lead onto the field from; she and Sai were standing in one at the moment, hidden away from almost everyone.

"It's an extra hallway," he had explained. "I was told that I could view from here if I wished to view the fights. Don't worry – the competitors won't notice us. The stadium was designed in such a way…"

He trailed off. "We need a plan."

Sakura nodded, tearing her eyes from the gorefest in front of her. "What can we do? Gaara and Naruto are locked up. God knows where Skye is…we don't even have a _weapon._"

A strange look came over Sai's face. It took Sakura a moment to realize that he was smiling softly. "Ah, _you_ might be unarmed, but myself, however…"

He shrugged off the jacket he was wearing – a slick canvas coat with pockets everywhere – and revealed a shoulder holster.

And a gun inside it.

"A Sig Sauer," he explained. Sakura had a vague feeling that that should mean something to her, but it was lost. "Plus…"

He proceeded then to empty his pockets, revealing extra bullets, two switchblades, and a lighter.

"Not much when put into perspective," he admitted. "But better than –"

He was cut off by the voice over the loudspeaker.

_It's disgusting, the way this is getting treated like a baseball game._

"Round Six is beginning," the voice was clipped and cold. "Contestants, please enter the arena."

Both teenagers turned. The boys were lead out. It was hard to tell who was who – she was quite a distance away, and everyone was dressed in white – but she'd recognize those two boys anywhere.

She didn't even hear the announcer. She didn't need to.

The first contestant was Sasuke.

The second was Naruto.

_I'm going to be sick. _

**I'm hoping didn't eat my formatting. It'd suck if it did. x.x**

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	47. Chapter 47

**I feel the need to, as an author, to apologize for two things: **

**Lack of updates and (which I could explain away with 'chemistry is a class from hell and this year just sucks)**

**Lack of reply to reviews (which I could explain as 'don't know what I'd say/hasn't been near a computer outside of school for gods-know-how-long.) **

**Holy effin' **_**shit,**_** I suck sometimes. But that is irrelevant. After being bedridden with an illness of undisclosed nature, and receiving a lovely little message from a lovely reader, I've finally dusted off this file and typed. I hope you find this satisfactory. **

**11:49, location unknown**

Itachi stood. He had mere minutes to act. Almost all the preparations were complete, he noted. The propane tanks were rigged just so, and Deidara's explosives never glitched. It was the one thing the brat was good for, he mused as he gathered his things.

_Three missed calls_, his cell screen informed him. All were from Hidan – and, as it was, Hidan was calling him _again._

"It is ten to midnight. What could you need?" Itachi answered tersely. Hidan_ knew_ how important tonight was for them. For Itachi, personally.

"Dude. The police are coming."

Itachi balked. "Pardon?"

"Some bitch got wind of what's going on. They're not after you, but…"

"Noted. I'll make myself scarce. You should do the same." With that, Itachi hung up. It only threw a minor wrench in his plans – like he planned to stick around once he blew this place to smithereens, anyway.

On the other line, Hidan stared at the screen of his cell for a long minute. He then exhaled, then dialed the police.

"_What's the emergency?"_

"Yes, I'm calling to report illegal activities at the Glass Hotel, 2900 Broad Street?"

"_What sort of illegal activities, sir?_"

Hidan grinned to himself. He hated being the little bitch that ratted to the police, but he could have _fun_ with this. "Not something you want to miss. Illegal human experimentation, child abuse, probably some cases of homicide. Oh, and if you wait too long, there _will_ be arson."

**11:52 PM, location unknown**

Sakura's face grew white as she watched the fight unfold. The boys began, circling one another. Dialogue might have been exchanged; Sakura couldn't tell. But Naruto spat at Sasuke's feet, and Saskue lunged at Naruto, tackling him to the ground.

Next to her, Sai watched the fight, mouth a thin line. "We must think of something quickly. I could shoot Sasuke," he gestured to the brawl, "But there is no guarantee that I would hit him. And I would not want to risk hitting Naruto – or blowing cover."

Sakura swallowed thickly. "Right."_ No, let's avoid shooting him. _"Do you know where Gaara is," she searched for the words, "Being kept?"

"I could find out easily," Sai told her. He frowned for a moment, then pressed a sheathed pocket knife into her hand. "I would rather you have a gun," he said, "But I am assuming that you wouldn't know how to operate it, and I don't have the time to teach you properly."

Sakura gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, no – no guns."

Sai nodded. "Do not use it unless necessary. You shouldn't be spotted, here. Everyone's watching them. If I do not return it twenty minutes, assume the worst and get yourself out of here – call the police. Understand?"

Sakura nodded, gripping the hilt of the knife with white knuckles. "Okay."

Sai left, and she turned back to the match.

Naruto and Sasuke were a whirl of limbs. They moved too fast for her to follow easily. Half the crowd would cheer when Naruto would land a hit on Sasuke; another half, it seemed, would cheer when Sasuke landed a blow on Naruto. It was like a sports event.

A macabre, gruesome _game._

They broke apart and retreated to opposite sides of the ground, spitting blood and growling; speech had been lost on these two long ago. There was a solid two seconds in which both of them did nothing, and then a red glow came over Naruto.

"That's – that's not normal," Sakura whispered. There was a sound of crunching bones and raging flames, and Naruto was on his knees, succumbing to it.

She glanced at the other side of the arena. Something similar was happening to Sasuke, and the sound of chirping birds joined the sound of fire.

_That's – what the hell is that? Energy? Can't be – where'd it come from?_ Her Chem teacher had ground the first law of thermodynamics into her skull: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only form. _Where the hell are these guys getting that energy from? And how the hell are they doing it?_

She kept her eyes trained on the two boys. The spectators were standing in their seats now, like some sick reenactment of that Ancient Roman movie where they fight – was it Gladiator? 300? Spartacus? Julius Caesar? She couldn't remember now and really didn't care – because the only apparent energy source that the boys could draw upon was their bodies. Right?

And that couldn't be good. The muscles could atrophy, not to mention their hearts going out -

She was drawn out of her thoughts by Sai. "Come," he said. "Gaara is in the upper-level cells." He cast a look at the arena. "We must be quick."

**11:52 PM, Hotel Lobby**

Anko was arguing loudly with the man at the lobby desk, explaining that, _yes,_ she was an officer and _yes,_ there was a warrant on the way and that if she wasn't led to the basement in _two seconds_ than she'd arrest him on grounds of obscuring justice. Kakashi wasn't sure that she could actually do that, but he let her speak to him. It kept the staff distracted, anyway.

He managed to slink away unnoticed. He took the elevator and selected 'down,' pressed the 'staff only' button.

The man stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway. It was made of stone and was rather dingy, with naked light bulbs being the only source of light. There appeared to be a conference room to his right, and all was silent save for the noises coming from down the hall.

Curious, he followed it.

He emerged on the level of an arena of some sort, like coming out of a baseball dugout. He didn't pay attention to the fight – he already knew what was supposed to be happening – but he did scope out the crowd, specifically the Plexiglas room that would indicate the designated men in charge.

He noted its relative location and slunk up the stairs. This entire area was part of a false side that the hotel had – probably had been a speakeasy during the Prohibition. It was completely separate from the regular hotel – even heating, Kakashi noted. It was significantly colder than the lobby had been.

He put his hand on the nine millimeter that was holstered safely under his jacket, then slunk up the staircase.

_It's going to be a long night._

**11:59, location undisclosed**

Skye had run until she'd come to the main level. No one was in the hallway; she couldn't hear footsteps or see anyone, but still she was cautious. In the distance, she could hear cheering. _Bet that's where everyone is._

Skye made her way there, and found herself on the outskirts of an arena. There were glass doors that led to arched hallways. Some of the arched hallways had staircases, and some did not.

Skye entered and positioned herself in a hallway that did _not_ have a staircase; she supposed they led up to seats, like at a baseball stadium. _It's effin' _cold,she though then looked at the arena and felt sick.

Whatever was happening definitely wasn't normal.

Naruto was on his knees on the one side, screaming as he was engulfed by – oh shit was that _fire?_ – some kind of red-orange force that sure as hell _sounded_ like a fire. Or a freight train. Sasuke was doing the same thing, crackling blue energy all around his hands and arms. The sound of chirping birds joined the roar of an inferno, and Skye felt the pit of her stomach turn to iron.

"Now this," a voice said from behind her, "Is when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object."

Skye didn't need to turn her head to know that it was Kev.

"The question is," Kev crooned, standing next to her and leaning on the beam, "Is who's what." He eyed Skye. "You pickin' up what I'm puttin' down, sweetheart?"

"What's going on?" she whispered, hugging herself. This was almost as bad as seeing Gaara in the cell, watching two boys – sixteen years old – trying to kill each other.

The Romans must've been a bloodthirsty people, if this was their highest entertainment.

Kev turned back. They were back in their respective corners, sort of recovering now. "The secret of Jinchuuriki. Transforming the thermal energy in the blood into a tangible, kinetic substance. And because humans are warm-blooded…well, you can see how powerful they have the potential to be." His words were nonchalant, as if they were discussing the weather, but there was a soft, nervous edge. "As long as they have the required calories to keep up, anyway."

"What about Sasuke?"

"Genetic mutation, dunno what the hell Orochimaru did to his cells. Fucked with the mitochondria, if what I hear's right." Skye's eyes darted to Kev for an instant. He noticed, and grinned. "What, I can't know a bunch of biological jargon?"

Skye shrugged. "Not when you're being civil at the same time." She didn't mean for it to come out as acidic as it sounded, really.

The spunky glint left Kev's eye and he sighed, saying softly, "Not really enough time to be a dick. They've got Kyon."

"_Why?_" Skye glanced back at the fight. They both were standing, advancing towards each other. Naruto must've done _something,_ because quick as a flash Sasuke was jerked back. The ground was torn up beneath him.

Kev turned away. "Insurance," he almost hissed. "Why do you think everyone's going along with it?"

_Insurance? What the -?_ "You seemed okay with it before," Skye pointed out.

Kev looked down. "Yea, well, that was before I figured everything out."

"Figured what out?" She glanced at Kev. His amber eyes were locked onto hers, and he said, quietly, "It doesn't matter who kills who. We're still the preliminary round."

"What? You mean that – no matter what happens – after all that –" she frowned, knowing the answer but not quite grasping the question.

Kev nodded grimly. "No matter what happens, girl, we're all gonna be euthanized at some point. Soon."

"This is so fucked up," she half-groaned, half-whispered. Kev made a sound of agreement. "And what the hell do you mean by insurance?"

Kev turned back to the fight. A scream ripped from Naruto's throat as Sasuke pounced onto him. Naruto threw the other boy off and he dropped like a rock. "Like I said. To make sure everyone goes along with it. They figured Kyon and Rynn'd be good enough for me –"

"Where _are _they?"

"Before they…got me, Rynn managed to escape. I think.. The insurance are treated as pseudo-guests here – as long as us Jinchuuriki play nice." He gave her a sidelong look. "You and Pinkie are insurance, believe it or not."

_That explains why Naruto's fighting…_ "Wait, me?"

Kev nodded. "Yupp. The two of you in exchange for Uzumaki's and Sabaku's cooperation."

"Cooperation," Skye stated flatly, feeling her stomach turn to lead. _Don't tell me that's why Gaara was being all – oh, shit. _"Sothey'll kill us if you guys don't play their little game?"

Kev nodded grimly. "You said it, girl." His fists clenched at his sides. "And there's nothing we can do about it…unless you're up for a prison break?"

Skye turned to him, to really look at him. Before she could say anything, though, there was a gasp from the crowd. Both of them turned to look.

Naruto and Sasuke were on a collision-course for each other's throat, teeth bared and at full-force. Someone screamed as suddenly a dark-haired man in a black trench coat appeared – _Itachi,_ Skye realized – between them. He grabbed Sasuke's arm, and that was all Skye saw before a giant plume of embers and smoke engulfed them.

Utter chaos erupted after that.

**12:01, hallway **

Taking out the guards had been easy. Yelling at Kev had been even easier.

But as far as finding his way out of the goddamn place?

Gaara was screwed.

He was back where he'd started, at the damn cell. He'd spent and entirety of_ ten minutes_ fruitlessly searching for a way _out_. For the life of him he couldn't find a staircase that led _up. _Down, he figured, was where he didn't want to go. He regretted not following Kev, or Skye, but then it had seemed like the best idea. The guard had said that he'd kill Skye if Gaara did anything reckless.

Gaara didn't want the guard to kill Skye.

But he'd been stupid.

He was pacing the hallway restlessly, contemplating doing something reckless, when he heard footsteps coming his way. Immediately he squared his stance and shoulders, but the aggression wasn't necessary; coming towards him was a girl and a boy.

Sakura and Sai, to be specific.

Sakura's eyes widened, and Sai clasped him on the shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, biting her lip and trying not to look at the fallen bodies of the guards.

Gaara nodded. "What's going on? Where's Skye? And Naruto?"

"I haven't seen Skye," Sai said elusively. "Come. We need to go before the next round of guards show." Casting a pointed look at the men in white lying on the floor, Sai gestured for Gaara to follow him.

He did. Sai led them down the hallway then pushed a steel door open. "Here – it's dark, but there's a staircase just to the right."

Gaara had walked past that door three times. He'd opened it three times. Three times, he 'd found nothing. He felt like an _idiot._

"What happened?" Sakura asked quietly, falling into place beside him. "When…"

Gaara stared ahead of him. "Nothing," he answered.

He heard Sakura sigh, but she didn't say anything.

Ahead of them, Sai opened the door and beckoned for them to come through.

Gaara stepped out just in time to see the explosion.

**Well. Here it is. Hope it's not too much of a tangent. **

**Hell, what am I saying XD**

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	48. Chapter 48

**No matter how much I apologize, I won't be able to make up for lack of updates. I can only thank a lovely little reader who left a lovely little message for the motivation and hope that people still read this. **

**I don't know if I've lost the knack for this story, and holy shit I've churned this out in two sittings. **

**I don't own anything. **

**In other news, happy St. Patty's Day!**

**EDIT: **

**12.3.12. This is the last chapter I have actually _finished. _The mythical Chapter 49 (I think it's 46, in this story) will be posted shortly. Before New Year's. I promise. **

**And then we'll get to the revamping. **

**.**

**12:04 AM, Balcony**

Kakashi had three ways to go about this. He could be by the book, and apprehend Danzo and Co. the traditional way – Danzo was a high-profile criminal, and being found here would finally bring enough evidence to light to incarcerate him.

Or he could go the non-traditional way and put a bullet in the head of every man in the room. It was a tempting thought and much as he wanted to…

His finger itched to pull the trigger. _No. Doing that now will cause unnecessary complications. _He hadn't missed the three or so bodyguards, and he technically wasn't with SWAT anymore. He couldn't get away with a stunt like that – not again.

_But still...it's worth it._

His hand twitched on the trigger and his mind screamed _NO_ but the bullet was still fire –

It didn't matter, though. That was when the bomb went off.

.

**12:05, arena**

.

There wasn't time to think – this was just too _perfect._ Kev grabbed Skye's forearm and booked it into the arena towards the fire. It'd be the last place anyone'd be heading, and he figured he could get out that way. _Across the arena, up the stairs. Take the staff elevator to the top and you'll be in the clear…_

"_The hell you doing?!_" he heard Skye yell from behind him, then immediately break out into a bout of coughing. There wasn't enough time to respond, but he couldn't have her stop here – he needed her to trust him.

He flashed her a grin over his shoulder and jerked them sharply to the right. His eyes stung and breathing was becoming harder, and it was _hot_. He was surprised that he hadn't caught fire yet –

Kev suddenly stumbled and nearly fell over the other boy. Skye crashed into him, and Kev only stopped for two seconds. In those two seconds he clarified that _yes,_ he'd just tripped over that Uzumaki boy and without a second thought Kev yanked him up by his shirt collar and tugged him along as well.

He drug them across the stadium and into the marble alcoves, nearly landing on his face when he lept over the ditch. They tumbled down, coughing. Kev bent over to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. His eyes stung and his face was hot and his coat was singed.

They were in the alcove that ran along the level of the arena. There were several marble pillars and a ditch that separated the hallway from the fighting grounds – they'd be okay from the fire.

For a little, at least.

Naruto was curled up on the floor, whimpering; Skye crouched next to him. Her eyes were red and watery from the smoke and the laces of her boots were burnt and smoldering. The two of them were a sorry sight, and Kev felt sort of bad for them, but they _had_ to keep moving.

"You ready?" he asked, wishing for a cigarette.

Skye looked from Kev to Naruto. "Can you stand?"

Naruto's eyes were screwed shut – the kid looked _pained._ Kev shook his head, feeling around in his pocket for a lighter and a smoke. Only one cig, and a lighter. He frowned.

"We need to get moving, sweetheart," Kev told Skye. "We're sort of in a burning building. I can carry him –"

"I'm _fine,_" Naruto growled. Kev couldn't have said 'fuck you' better if he'd tried.

"Are you?" Kev shot back, more out of habit than necessity. Skye threw him a look, but got to her feet. She opened her mouth but before she could speak a door in the hallway slid open. Sai, Sakura, and Gaara emerged, eyes widening. Kev watched them – neither Skye nor Naruto had noticed them yet.

All eyes were glued to the inferno. Sakura shouted frantically, "Where's Naruto?!"

He cleared his throat. "Over here." He gestured to Skye and Naruto. All eyes were on him, and then there was a tall ass motherfucker wrestling him to the ground. Kev stood his ground, shoving Sai across the hallway. "Will you calm _down?!_" he snarled. He gestured out at the arena. "We sort of have to _go._"

"Where to?" Sakura asked, straightening up.

"Elevator. It'll take us up to the main level." Kev fixed everyone with a glare. "We cool? Get _up,_" he toed Naruto's side with his boot. "We have to get _moving._"

With that he grabbed the kid by his shirt collar, slung his arm around his shoulders, and half-carried him down the hallway.

x.x.x

Sakura glanced nervously at the arena. Thick black smoke billowed over red and yellow flames. She swallowed and stared at her feet instead, praying that the fire wouldn't catch them. Skye, Kev, and Naruto were singed and smelt of smoke – Kev's jacket was sort of smoldering, but he refused to take it off.

No one argued with him.

_At least Sai seems to know where we're going._

In front of her Naruto was trying to tell Kev that he could walk, but Kev was having none of it. Sakura bit her lip – Naruto _did_ look a little worse for wear, not to mention tired.

They stopped abruptly at an elevator marked 'staff only.' Kev slammed the 'up' button, muttering to himself under his breath as they waited. He dropped Naruto down once they were in the elevator.

There were no specific floor buttons, just 'up' 'down' and 'penthouse.' Kev pressed 'up' and waited anxiously, muttering to himself.

"What are we doing there?" Gaara wanted to know.

Kev fixed him with a look. "I'm not leaving without Rynn or Kyon."

Sakura shrunk in on herself as the two boys locked in an electric staring match. Gaara relented, crossing his arms. A muscle jumped in his jaw, but that was all.

_This is easily the most awkward elevator ride I've ever been on. _

After a solid minute of complete and utter silence, the doors opened with a _ding!_ They clambered out behind Kev. They were in the hotel proper now, more or less – granted, it was after midnight, but no one was around. Not even staff.

_We're not home free yet._

.

**12:15**

Zabuza was fucking happy as hell that he'd left the spectator's box when he had. Granted, it had sucked at the time – being needed god-knows-where because his fucktard son couldn't sit still and _listen_ – but it'd saved his life.

The minute the arena went up in flames was the minute he snapped into action. He had three guesses as to who was behind it and he was damned if he was losing the research. He might not have been a scientists, but he sure as hell knew what he was doing. It was his vision, his goal, and he sure as hell wasn't letting a case of arson fuck it up.

**12:17**

"Just – hold –_on!_"

Naruto watched wearily as Kev quite literally kicked down a door. He was sitting against the opposite hallway wall, too tired to stand. His body felt worn out. His head was pounding. It was like the life had been sucked from him.

And he was hungry as hell. That too.

_I just want to sleep…_

He went to blink – really, that was all – and the next thing he knew a worried Sakura was shaking his shoulder and Gaara was hoisting him up. Two beat up kids – Rynn and Kyon – were coming out of the room with the broken door, and a guy in white with a bloody nose was making himself scarce.

He smelt smoke, and he was going to say something, _really,_ but it didn't really matter.

He thought, at least. He was too disoriented to really notice, much less _care._

x.x.x

Gaara figured that the best he could do right now was keep Naruto upright. Skye wasn't looking him in the eye and, frankly, he didn't know what to say. Kev was leading them to another door – one that would take them to a part of the hotel that actually had windows and doors, he said, but when he opened the door thick, black, smoke met his face in a wave of heat. Kev slammed the door shut with a curse and whirled around. "There goes plan A."

"What's plan B?" Rynn asked. "And can you get this freakin' manacle off?" he held out his wrist. One end of a handcuff was closed around it, the other half broken and swinging from his wrist.

"Thought you liked the kinky shit?" Skye asked with a grin. Rynn shot a glare at her.

"Both of you shut up." Kev shut his eyes and exhaled. "Look, we need to get _out_ of here. The building's sort of on _fire_ and right now, we can either leave or go up in flames with it. The exit's blocked and the only way we can get out is through the labs up there or the basement, neither of which are, so to speak, _desirable._"

"You could've just said we're screwed," Skye remarked dryly.

"The basement's out," Sai added, thoroughly ignoring her. "The ground level's on fire. I wouldn't risk going down."

"I know," Kev said, "I just don't wanna go to the labs."

Gaara didn't understand what Kev's problem was. It was inevitable. Kev seemed to realize it. He grit his teeth and stalked down the hallway. "C'mon. Elevator's probably out. We have to take the stairs."

x.x.x

Taking the stairs turned out to be a mistake. They had been on them for all of five minutes when flames began climbing up behind them.

Sakura heard the flames before she saw them – it was a like the sound of a train, only it crackled more. She turned around and saw the smoke. "Uh…guys?"

"It's burning," said Sai.

"_Fuck,"_ Kev said. He dropped back to help Gaara with Naruto. "Fucking move _I know it's burning!_"

They ran fast as they could. When they reached the landing Sai ushered them to the side and through an emergency door. For a split second Sakura thought that they were outside – but no, she realized. They were in what looked like a chemistry lab.

A freaking _chemistry _lab.

x.x.x

There were Bunsen burners and sinks and a hazardous chemical cabinet, set up in rows like the one at his school. Papers were strewn all over the place and folders were laid on a central desk. Rynn swallowed and felt his stomach plunge. Kev was getting agitated, storming around the room and opening cabinets before slamming them shut with a curse. He turned all the Bunsen burners on as he went.

"What are you _doing?_" Skye demanded, hands on her hips.

Kev didn't pause. "Getting rid of this shit. If we leave, there's not telling that this room'll be destroyed. We're burning it _now._"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Rynn wanted to know. _This kid is crazy. Absolutely crazy. _

"High end place like this is probably _swimming_ in propane," he said. "You know, for heat. And Burners equal methane."

Two minutes later he had a red container of gasoline and a white propane tank. "Jackpot. Kyon, get the door. And – matches. They should be…"

"Here." Sakura had noticed them on the countertop to her right. She made to hand them to Kev, who was right next to her. Before she could, too many things happened at once.

x.x.x

Kyon opened the door and stepped into the penthouse. He didn't have time to respond before he was grabbed by his arm and shoved into the wall, _hard._

He blinked dazedly as Kev's dad yanked him up by his bicep and drug him into the lab. Struggling was useless – though Zabuza was just as whipcord lean as his son, all of his body mass was solid muscle.

_Fuck._

x.x.x

Sai made to aim his gun when the man – he recognized him as Zabuza – stormed in.

"Put that thing away right the fuck now," he barked, placing the barrel of a revolver against Kyon's head, "Or I shoot."

The air in the room went still as Sai lowered his gun and placed it on the counter. Sakura swallowed thickly. Her hands shook as she held the matches.

The man glared at Kev. "Why are the burners on?! What the fuck is this?"

Kev glared back. "I dunno, _Dad,_" he sneered, "You tell me. What the fuck does it look like?" In one fluid motion he stepped forward and took Sai's gun off the counter.

"Put that _down_!" his dad growled. He jostled Kyon "Or he gets killed."

Kyon whimpered. Kev seemed unfazed. "You hurt him," Kev said dangerously, "And I'll fucking blow my brains out. You get me?" He held the barrel of the gun against the bottom of his jaw. "Don't think I won't."

Sakura bit her lip and tried to sink into the floor. She held her breath, but the man eventually gave a sharp, bitter bark of laughter. He kicked Kyon away and sheathed his gun; the boy scrambled back. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"

"Learned from the best." He kicked over the gasoline container and grabbed Sakura by her forearm. "Light it! _Now!_"

Sakura struck the match, but she fumbled – though the match was lit, the rest of the book was soaked in gasoline. Useless.

It didn't matter, though – she dropped the match onto the puddle of gasoline, jumping back as she did so.

But…

"Shit! How the fuck did that not light?"

Sakura knew. The match had gone out before it'd even hit the ground. She felt her stomach plunge.

_Useless._

"Rather sorry about that," the man said. "But, as you see, we've all been inhaling methane gas at this point, and –" he turned off a Bunsen burner, "I don't want to die."

"Fuck you," Kyon hissed, clutching his shoulder. "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

The man _tsked._ "And I always thought you the proper one. No matter. Now, you two," he gestured with his gun to Sakura and Skye, "I can't let you go, but I have no desire to kill you. If you could just- "

"Don't do anything," Kev barked. "We're burnin' this place if it's the last goddamn thing I do."'

He chuckled. "And how do you expect to do that? You're matches are duds," he took two steps forward, bent down and picked up the gasoline-soaked matchbox. "You don't have a flame. The lower levels that have already burned are made of concrete and steel; the damage will be superficial and easy to control." He grinned. "Game over."

"See, dad," Kev said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "This is where you're wrong."

The man kept his cool but there was a flicker in his eyes. "Whatever do you mean?"

"We all have our vices, don't we? You like your gin mom liked her sex. Well," and here, he pulled out a cigarette and stuck it the corner of his mouth, "I like my smokes."

Zabuza's expression went from arrogant to cold in seconds. "You can't light that. It'd be suicide. This entire section of the hotel – the research –" he cut himself off. "What am I saying; you wouldn't do it."

_Did he forget that Kev just threatened suicide thirty seconds ago?_

Kev quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Try me."

He narrowed his eyes. "I dare you."

With a wry smile, Kev pulled out his lighter. Skye had never paid it any real attention before, but now the detail was obvious. It was silver, with black and blue designs on it. _He's not going to do it. He's just buying us time; he has to be._

"Do you now? Well, then," Kev turned and faced them, "You motherfuckers had better start running like hell's at your heels. Wait – _no you don't!_" He lunged and grabbed his dad's arm, holding him in place. "You're coming down with me," he hissed in the man's ear. He gave a feral grin, drudging up as much teeth as he could. He slammed his dad to the ground and kept a foot pinned on his chest.

"_What?"_

"Kev, don't – "

"Head through that door over there, then head out the window." He lit his cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Look man, you can't just –"

"There should be snow piles at the bottom, but hang-jump. Just to be safe. Someone haul Uzumaki's ass out, okay?"

"You – that's suicide!"

Kev turned to look at Skye, his eyes steely. "Get goin'!"

"No – you can't just!" This was from Rynn, and Kyon was right behind him. "C'mon! It'll catch soon enough! There's other ways – you know that!" Kyon went to grab Kev's arm.

Kev actually cocked back his fist and punched Kyon in the chest, hard. "_Keep running!" _

He waited until the door closed before he tossed the lighter into the gasoline.

_Game over._

x.x.x

They tumbled out of the building. There had been snow at the bottom but Skye's ankle was probably out of commission and she was coughing, coughing, and crying – tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was shaking uncontrollably. Gaara was gripping her hand, her shoulder, holding her tight to his chest because it was solid and real and _oh my god, that actually happened,_ and she fisted her hands into his shirt and didn't let go, even when the paramedics and cops and Fey and some blonde girl came because this was all she had to hold on to.

x.x.x

**As always, let me know your thoughts. **


	49. Chapter 49

The funeral was held that Wednesday.

Kyon had showed up early to the viewing. Kev's family was there, too – a woman who must've been his mother, plus some cousins, aunts, uncles, and kids from school. At the front of the room the casket lay closed; in place was a portrait from last year's yearbook, before Kev had dyed his hair. It looked almost wrong, to Kyon – he wanted to point out that that really wasn't _Kev,_ not the Kev that they'd all come to love, but he couldn't speak.

All about the room there were pictures of Kev – Kyon, Rynn, and Skye were in most of them.

It didn't feel real. His best friend was dead, _dead…_Kev was supposed to be untouchable. Nothing – _nothing_ got to him. Sure, he could be an asshole and yeah, he had a complete disregard for social norms but –

_He had a good heart, when it counted. _

Kyon bit his lip. He couldn't start crying _now,_ _God,_ the service hadn't even started and –

A hand clasped his shoulder. _Rynn. _The other boy didn't say anything, just stood next to Kyon in front of the casket.

After a moment, Rynn cleared his throat. "How've you been?" he asked, voice gentle.

Kyon ran a finger over the stitches in his cheek. "Alright," he said, but his voice cracked.

Rynn grimaced.

Kyon understood.

A minute later they were joined by Skye. She said nothing, either, not even when Kev's mom approached them.

She was beautiful, in the way older women were – not like a MILF, but elegant – Kyon would've liked to draw her, maybe, if this were a different time.

She looked tired, teary and sad in the way that meant she was trying not to cry. "I'm sorry," she began, "For – everything." She paused, and Kyon's heart twinged. They'd already had this conversation, the four of them, the _You lost a friend and I lost a son and it's all because of my psycho-ex-husband,_ the whole, _Kev did it, he sacrificed himself and that's why we're alive,_ the police, the hospitals, the doctors, the FBI…

She handed each of them a little black velvet box. "Kev…he'd want you to have them."

Inside each of the boxes was one of Kev's rings.

Kyon got the silver-with-satin finished claddagh; to Rynn went the silver raven ring; Skye received his class ring – silver with a red stone.

Kyon looked up, bit his lip. He wanted to say something – wanted to apologize, wanted to yell and scream that Kev didn't _deserve this,_ wanted to do _something _but didn't know _what– _but Rynn saved it. "Thank you," he said, voice even. He cleared his throat. "Kev – ah. Thank you."

Kev's mother gave a watery smile and said, "There's refreshments in the other room, if you're interested."

Kyon wanted to say _no, thanks, I'm fine we'll stay here, _ but Rynn was ushering them into the next room. Kyon was about to protest, but Rynn shushed him. "Other people want to see the casket," he whispered.

_Oh._

It was hard to forget that they weren't Kev's only friends.

Kyon bit his lip. The room with the refreshments was empty. Skye slid into a chair and Rynn and Kyon followed suit.

"Actually," Skye said. "I'm going to get coffee."

All was silent as she stood and fixed herself a cup. When she sat back down, she took a sip and immediately put it down. "Fuck. No I don't."

Kyon wanted to hug her, to pat her on the back at tell her _shh, it's okay, no reason to get upset about coffee_ but he couldn't, instead sitting on his hands and feeling sick.

Rynn, gracious as ever, reached across the table and covered her hand with his own. Kyon bit his lip and fingered his ring. It was too big – loose even on his thumb. He'd have to put it on a chain, or something, until he grew into it.

Next to him, Skye bit her lip. "Fuck," she said again, but it came out choked and she looked like she was going to cry and _no, no, Skye doesn't cry, she _never_ cries…_

"I can't do this," Kyon said, and ran out.

He brushed past people in the hallway, shouldered open the heavy door, and sprinted down the steps and out into the parking lot. His chest hurt and his knees were weak and he felt so damn _shaky, _so _shaky,_ and normally he'd go to Kev and Kev would help but the thing was, Kev was _dead._

Kev was dead and he wasn't coming back.

_Asshole. You fucking asshole. _

And it was with that thought that Kyon bent over and threw up.

That was how Rynn found him, wordlessly offering him gum when he was done. Skye kneeled down next to him and took his hand, making circles on the back of it with her thumb. Someone might've said _shh, it's okay, calm down,_ but Kyon wasn't sure and it _wasn't okay,_ because he was in an oxford shirt and Rynn was in a suit and Skye was in a dress and it was for a funeral, a _funeral,_ _a funeral for his best friend._

"C'mon, buddy," Rynn said, pulling him up.

Kyon didn't meet anybody's eyes. He wanted to say _I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I just feel sick – _but the words wouldn't come and _dammit, he was crying._

Skye hadn't let go of his hand; she gave it a squeeze. He twitched his fingers in response.

Rynn put his hands on both of their shoulders. "Hey – hey. Kev…he's gone. But he – he knew what he was doing." His voice cracked a little and he swallowed thickly. "We gotta live for him now. Okay? We gotta stick together. We can't…we can't lose you. Either of you." He brought them both into a hug, and Kyon felt sick but he stopped shaking and _god, Rynn, I wish I had your optimism. _

"Fuck," Skye said, dabbing her eyes and pulling away. She was crying and her makeup was running and Kyon figured that someone should tell her she was beautiful but he didn't. He _didn't._

He said, "You're fine," and it came out rusty but she smiled and grabbed his hand. In her other hand she took Rynn's, and together the three of them walked back into the funeral home.

As it were, no words were necessary.

.

.

.

_**BLOODBATH LEAVES 34 DEAD, 15 HOSPITALIZED. **_

_**December 19: **__The Glass Hotel, located just inside the city of Konoha, was burned to the ground in the early morning hours of December 18. It was originally reported that this was a case of arson – but investigations reveal something much more sinister. _

_Doctors Orochimaru Hiruzen and Hiro no Sabaku were arrested twelve years ago for human experimentation. Both were released two years ago on probation with their respective medical licenses revoked. Although this set the Jinchuuriki Project back, it did not stop it completely. Twenty years ago, plans were made to experiment on eighteen subjects – nine in utero and nine infants. Though the immediate goal is yet unknown, ultimately, police believe, they were trying to create the perfect human weapon. _

_Scientists from across the board were attending a five-day symposium at the Glass Hotel the weekend of December 17. Police are still unsure how many of them were connected to Jinchuuriki. No names have been released. _

_Police were given an anonymous tip and were on the scene half an hour before the Glass Hotel began burning around midnight of the 17__th__. Whether or not this was a last-ditch effort to conceal Jinchuuriki is unknown, but investigators believe that this was a third-party attempt; evidence of large quantities of explosives has been discovered. _

_Eleven of the subjects are among the thirty-four dead; another two have been identified among the 15 injured. _

_More information on the Jinchuuriki Project is expected to follow when the police have completed questioning. _

Kakashi sighed and put down the newspaper, not bothering to look at any of the other ones Anko had unceremoniously dumped onto his hospital bed five minutes ago.

Presently the woman was sitting in the chair next to his bed. When he looked over at her, she asked, "Do you think I'd go to hell for smoking in a hospital room?"

Before he could answer she'd already lit a cigarette. "Blech," she said, moments after inhaling. "Hospital cigs _suck." _

Kakashi rolled his eye. "Try the food."

Anko snorted, flicking ash into a cup on the bedside table. "You know, that was almost funny."

To that Kakashi offered no response, instead staring down at his hands. Talking was difficult when half your face had nearly melted off and the other half was bandaged. Kakashi had never perceived himself as particularly vain before, but, with a pretty girl in the room and all…

Back in high school, his History teacher had shown the class a documentary – one of those humanitarian ones – about the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII. The images of the people who'd been burned had been graphic and disgusting and Kakashi was pretty sure that's what he looked like.

"Merry Christmas, by the way."

He looked up. Anko was standing, looking out the window. It had snowed the night before, and made for a pretty sight on the hospital grounds.

"The twenty-fifth already?" he mused, idly following her gaze. She was looking up, at the power lines – more specifically, where several dozen birds sat perched, silhouetted against the gray sky.

_Seven days._ He'd been in the hospital about a week – firstly to treat his injuries and then for reconstructive surgery. His insurance covered it, so he couldn't bitch about the cost, but still – Kakashi wanted out. He'd have to wait: between the shrapnel that had to be dug out of his back, the burns, and the concussion he'd sustained….well. The doctors weren't planning on letting him out anytime soon. – especially given his medical history.

_And my eye…_

Kakashi mentally groaned. He'd contemplated just checking himself out – he'd done that in the past – but he couldn't muster the energy to fight with his doctor. Maybe it was a sign of him getting old.

He sighed and leaned back, shut his good eye. He'd sent emails out to the parents of his students, explaining that he would have to postpone therapy until after the new year for medical reasons, but still he worried. _Sabaku_ wasn't a common surname, and, well…

_Well._

He looked over at Anko again, idly letting his mind wander. All the things she could be doing Christmas morning…and she was here.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, surprising himself with the question.

Her glance shifted over to him, a corner of her mouth tugging up. "Don't treat me like one of your students, Kakashi."

"It was just a question."

"You like small talk just about as much as I do." As if to prove her point, she flicked her cigarette ash at him.

Kakashi sighed and rested his back against the bed. "Aren't we a little too old for this?"

"Maybe _you _are, old man. I'm only twenty-six."

"Old? I'm thirty-two."

"Puh-_lease._ You're practically old enough to be my dad."

"You wound me."

Two sharp knocks sounded on the door and then the nurse walked in. "Kakashi Hatake? The doctor wants to see you now." She turned to Anko, "Miss, if you could –"

Anko cut her off. "I'm on my way." She shrugged don her coat and picked up her messenger bag. "I'll see you later, alright? Oh –I almost forgot." She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a box wrapped in red paper. "Merry Christmas, jerk. Tootles!"

Kakashi shook his head, putting the present aside. The nurse looked a little amused, saying, "Oh, go open it. The doctors never come when they say they're going to."

Kakashi did, wondering why Anko was suddenly being so _nice._ Sure, she was fun company and yeah, he supposed they were friends, but she wasn't the gift-giving type. Anko was more a 'cover-your-tab-on-your-birthday' kind of person.

He unwrapped the box and opened it. Inside was a black, Under Armour-esque material. Kakashi frowned down at it, unsure of what it was.

A note fell from it. It was written in purple, and it took Kakashi a moment to decipher the swirly, feminine handwriting:

_Black always was your color. _

.

.

.

Being hospitalized for Christmas _sucked. _

Well, okay. Naruto wasn't _hospitalized,_ but as it were he was _in_ the hospital. Frankly, he didn't understand why it couldn't wait but it had something to do with the doctor going away the next day down to like the Bahamas or whatever and ugh, it was so _stupid, why couldn't it wait?_

When Naruto presented this logic to Iruka, the man had just shaken his head and told him to get in the car.

But – and here's the _but –_ the visit had been quick. Well, sort of. His concussion was healing nicely, his pneumonia was _almost_ gone, the blood tests had come back mostly normal and he'd only ripped _one_ of his stitches. All in all, Naruto figured, it wasn't too bad – okay, well, that one part where the doctor had gotten all serious and was like, "You should consider running some more tests; I'm concerned about any complications he might have – given the situation."

Everything got quiet; when Iruka spoke, he was tense. "If everything is good, then we'll get going."

The doctor looked like he was going to argue, but Iruka had already made good on his words and was shepherding Naruto out the door.

.

.

.


End file.
